Ships in the Night
by hawker-748
Summary: A rainy night. A chance encounter. An error in judgment. The fallout from that decision... COMPLETE.
1. Closest Point of Approach

Disclaimer: "Love Hina" is the property of Ken Akamatsu and TokyoPop. Although I did ask Santa to bring it to me this Christmas, so who knows.

I don't own this story and I don't make any money off of it. If you sue me, give me a number and I'll fax you the cash.

C+C is welcome at hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Goddamn QuickEdit…

This story idea was inspired by SimmyC, who graciously allowed me to pick up the ball and run with it.

Thanks Man!

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

Manga continuity, after the "Burn-Up Blade" story line

Love Hina:

Ships in the Night

Chapter One: Closest Point of Approach

How rain feels to a person is largely subjective, usually based on the time of year, or the mood of the person underneath it. A rain that provides welcome relief in a hot, sultry summer's day can feel like super-chilled ice water in early spring. Late fall rain, the last few rains before the snow starts to fall, are almost universally accepted as being especially cold.

Keitaro Urashima, the owner and landlord of the Hinata rooming house for girls, wasn't feeling too philosophical about the weather as he walked through the city on a cold November night. He was more concerned with trying to keep warm. The windbreaker he'd grabbed before leaving Hinata house wasn't up to the task of repelling the frigid precipitation that lashed him relentlessly. When the rain had started, it had kept him dry for about three minutes, before the water seeped through, soaking his jacket.

Resigning himself to getting drenched, Keitaro had continued with his wanderings, even after successive layers of his clothing became sodden, starting with his jacket, followed by his shirt and pants. His shoes and socks were soaked when he'd walked through some deceptively deep puddles instead of detouring around them, and now his underwear was cold, wet, and clinging to him uncomfortably.

The wet clothing was heavy, and taking away all of his heat and every step brought more of it in contact with his skin, further exacerbating the effect. He was so chilled that only his walking prevented him from shuddering to keep warm. There were abundant places where he could have gotten out of the rain and warmed himself up. Keitaro could have even returned to Hinata house, where a hot bath, coffee and dry clothes waited.

Yet he continued to walk in the rain, lost in thought, eschewing any shelter, and not paying any real attention to where he was or who was around him. His mind kept endlessly repeating the circumstances that had spurred him to take this long walk.

It has started small, as most things usually did, but it had snowballed uncontrollably from there, until it involved virtually all the residents.

Sarah and Su had lit the fuse, so to speak, with one of their traditional greetings. Their 'tag-team' kick, where Sarah hit him behind the knees while Su put a heel into his chin. It had caused him to sprawl backwards, wildly flailing his arms as he vainly tried to keep his balance. He'd failed, and ended up falling onto his back, banging his head on the floor, hard.

After a few seconds, his head cleared enough to realize that he had fallen with his head between Shinobu's ankles. As his (mostly bad) luck would have it, Shinobu had decided to wear a skirt that day, and the clinical part of his mind noted that she was still wearing teddy bear panties.

Shinobu blushed, 'eeped', and tried to cover herself with her skirt. That might have been the end of it, if Motoko and Naru hadn't chosen that exact moment to walk into the room.

Motoko's eyes flashed dangerously, as she proclaimed once again that Keitaro was pervert and attacked him, launching him headlong into the wall. Only the fact that it was a structural, load-bearing wall prevented him from being punched through and leaving a Keitaro shaped outline. In retrospect, compared to what happened next, that might have been preferable to him.

He ricocheted of the wall and collided with Kitsune, knocking both of them to the floor, Keitaro's head coming to rest between the fox-eyed girl's bountiful assets. Slightly intoxicated (as usual) Kitsune leered and told Keitaro that if he wanted to get frisky, he should at least wait until they were alone.

Naturally, Naru didn't take that very well…

Ignoring Keitaro's attempts at apology and explanations, she stomped over and kicked him with enough force to launch him out of the residence like an artillery shell. The only thing that stopped his parabolic flight path was the 6x12 ceiling joist he impacted.

After his second aborted flight in less than two minutes, Keitaro lay crumpled on the floor, his head spinning, and his body wracked with pain. After a minute or so, he slowly regained his feet, gratefully accepting Shinobu's help, and without a word to anyone, simply walked out. He headed for the door, paused only to put on his shoes and grab a jacket, and left without so much as a glance back.

He either didn't notice, or just didn't care about, the look of rain in the clouds. The residents watched him leave in silence, puzzled by his uncharacteristic behavior, and more than one wondering if maybe they'd finally gone too far.

That had been three hours earlier.

Keitaro was still thinking about this as he walked through the rainy night. If asked, he couldn't have accurately expressed what he was feeling. He paused at an intersection and waited for the light to change. When he started to shiver, he made a mental note to buy a better jacket. 'Something more waterproof,' he mused, as he tried to keep himself from shivering. 'Something better than this…sponge.'

'Least my glasses keep the rain outta my eyes. Still get drops on 'em though.' A faint grin appeared on his lips as another thought came to him. 'Maybe ask Su to make some windshield wipers for 'em?'

Sighing, he resumed walking when the light changed, and his thoughts returned to their previous tangent. 'Why does this always happen? Do they think I plan to do things like that?' He was so absorbed in his own thoughts, Keitaro didn't notice the person he bumped into until it was over. "Oh, I'm sorry ma'am," he apologized.

"It's alright Urashima."

'Huh? Urashima?' "Do I kno- Tsuruko!" he yelped in surprise.

"Yes, it's me Urashima."

"W-what are you doing here?" he stammered. The last time he'd encountered her, she'd almost ended up as his sister-in law.

"I decided to go for a walk," she replied.

'Coming from Kyoto's one helluva walk.' "Are you visiting Motoko again? I can take you to Hinata House if you want."

Tsuruko shook her head. "No need, I'm, I just wanted some time alone, that's all." She regarded Keitaro closely. "You're drenched Urashima. Why are you out in this downpour?"

Keitaro pursed his lips, trying to think of the best way to phrase his reply. "Stress of being a landlord," he answered diplomatically. "Sometimes, things get to be too much, so I need to get away for a while." He was a little surprised to see Tsuruko nodding faintly, as if in understanding.

"You need to get out of this rain Urashima. There's a coffee shop over there," she pointed over his shoulder. "Why don't go there, and then you can dry out and warm up."

Keitaro's first reaction was to politely decline the offer, but standing still had allowed the chills to set in. He felt himself start to shudder from the cold. 'Might be nice to get warm again, and coffee…' he mused dreamily. 'A bathtub full of hot coffee…' "After you," he gestured.

They walked inside, going up a flight of stairs to reach the coffee shop. Keitaro shook off his jacket and handed it to the coat-check girl, who accepted it as if it were a jar of warm sputum. The waitress who showed them to a booth gave Keitaro's soaking appearance a look of disdain before she left them with the menus.

Of course, Tsuruko looked completely presentable, her hat having done a more than adequate job of keeping her dry.

Keitaro excused himself and asked Tsuruko to order him a black coffee while he went to the washroom to try to dry off a little. Entering the washroom, he locked the door behind him, and took off his sodden shirt and wrang it out over the sink. He did the same with his socks, pants, and after double-checking that the door was locked and that the stalls were empty, his underwear. The wringing left his clothes damp and wrinkled, but no longer dripping.

He used hot water from the taps to wash his face and dried off as much as he could with paper towels. His efforts left him feeling a little drier than he started and looking more like a man than a drowned rat. Once again dressed, he used his hands to comb his hair as best he could, sighed in resignation at his look in the mirror and left the washroom, trying to avoid the angry glares of the three men waiting impatiently outside the door.

At the booth, he found a cup of coffee and a thermal carafe waiting for him, along with Tsuruko and a bottle of heated sake. Apologizing for his absence, he sat down and took a sip of his coffee, nodding in approval of its flavour and temperature. Glancing at Tsuruko's sake, he thought, 'That's not a bad idea…' He gestured for the waitress to come over and asked her if it was possible to get some brandy in the coffee.

She nodded and came back with a bottle of Hennessey. Pouring a generous splash into his coffee, Keitaro took a sip, and took comfort from the warm feeling that washed over him. "That's better."

"Brandy?" asked Tsuruko, raising her eyebrows in curiosity.

Keitaro shrugged. "Saw it in a movie."

"I'm glad you're feeling better Urashima," said Tsuruko, as she sipped from her cup. "So. Are you still glad you got out of the engagement with my sister?" she asked without preamble.

Somehow, Keitaro was able to set his coffee down without spilling any of it. "No! I mean yes! I mean…" He paused momentarily to regain his composure. "I didn't mind being engaged to her," he clarified, "but I'm not the kind of man she deserves."

"How do you know? You two do make an adorable little couple."

"I can just tell. You know, subtle things." 'Like constantly trying to send me into orbit,' he silently added. "She'll be happier with someone else."

Tsuruko merely shrugged in reply. She then gestured for the waitress to bring her a new bottle of sake, which she started drinking with a speed that Keitaro found surprising.

'None of my business,' he thought, as he refilled his own mug, this time with a larger portion of brandy.

The two of them engaged in small talk, Keitaro telling Tsuruko about his attempts to get into Tokyo University and life at Hinata house, omitting any details about the pounding that the position inflicted on him. Tsuruko told him a few stories about Motoko, nothing embarrassing, but she didn't tell him much about herself in the process.

All of the while they continued to drink, Keitaro now a third of the way into the brandy, and Tsuruko on her forth bottle of sake.

Tsuruko was a little flushed from the alcohol, but other than that seemed to be unaffected. Keitaro was feeling a little tipsy, and while he wouldn't have wanted to drive at the moment, he would have said that he was feeling 'mellow'.

His 'mellowness' was shattered when Tsuruko asked him point-blank without warning: "So how are you and Naru getting along?"

This time, Keitaro did fumble his drink. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"You and Naru. The two of you seemed to be quite close when you were in Kyoto. Even when you were engaged to my sister," she added. "Are you two dating yet?"

"No! I, I mean, we're close, and, and I like her…"

"…but…" prompted Tsuruko, a half-smile on her lips.

'She's more out of it than I thought,' realized Keitaro. 'Then again, I'm not that much better myself…' He sighed as he recalled the beating she'd inflicted on him earlier that night… as well as the many other times. "We, we just have our disagreements, that's all."

"You ever get mad at her?"

"Sometimes, but not really…"

"Give her the 'cold-shoulder'?"

'I've gotten it a lot,' Keitaro thought. "No, never."

"So, she gets mad at you, but you never get mad back?"

Keitaro thought for a few moments, during which time Tsuruko finished off her forth bottle and motioned for a fifth. "We argue," Keitaro admitted, "but I don't see a point in getting too angry, what good would it do?" He finished his last swallow of brandy-laced coffee, and started to reach for the carafe, before reconsidering and pouring only brandy into the mug.

"I knew it. My sister was a fool for wanting to be free of you." Tsuruko's façade was starting to crumble, and Keitaro could se that something was deeply troubling her. She emptied her glass and reached for the bottle only to have Keitaro grab it first.

"I think you've had enough," he told her softly.

"How would -you- know?"

"You said Motoko and I would be good together. You're not thinking straight."

"Well, why not?" prompted Tsuruko.

'She's different when she's had too much to drink.' Tsuruko's bluntness was starting to make his own hackles rise a little. "Calling me a pervert and attacking me with her sword would be my first guess."

Tsuruko shook her head sadly. "Motoko is a fool…"

In spite of all the disagreements he'd had with Motoko, Keitaro quickly came to her defense. "No, she's not! I do some dumb things from time to time, and she just-"

"Overreacts," finished Tsuruko.

"It's not her fault!" Keitaro insisted.

Tsuruko sighed deeply. "In spite of all the friction between you two, you still stand-up for her. You're a better man than anyone gives you credit Urashima." Quick as a cobra, she snatched the bottle out of his hands and refilled her glass. "You may be the noblest man in the country."

"Err, thanks…" 'I think…' "But, what about your husband?" he asked unsurely.

Tsuruko didn't even look up in response, and didn't say anything either.

Taking another drink to steady his nerves, Keitaro quietly asked, "Why are you here?"

When no response was given, Keitaro thought that she hadn't heard him, and was about to repeat his question when Tsuruko replied, "Sometimes, things get to be too much, so I need to get away for a while."

"W-want to talk about it?" a now very uncomfortable Keitaro asked.

"Not really." Tsuruko drained her glass and refilled it yet again. "I will say this though. When it comes to trying to be there for someone, he isn't nearly as good a man as you Urashima."

Keitaro took the sake bottle back from Tsuruko. "I think we've both had enough for tonight."

Tsuruko smiled crookedly, her face flush with alcohol. "You're right. I should go home now." She stood up, but had to use the table to steady herself.

Keitaro tried to jump up to help her, and then realized that his sense of balance and coordination wasn't up to par either. "You, you normally drink this much?" he asked hesitantly, struggling to keep himself vertical.

Tsuruko shook her head. "No, Don't know why though, this is kind of… interesting."

"You'll regret it tomorrow," Keitaro replied ruefully.

"Until then…" She finished the last of the sake in the glass. She then turned on her heel and walked towards the exit.

…or at least, that's what she intended.

Tsuruko's co-ordination and balance were shot to hell, and she stumbled, falling against Keitaro, who somehow managed to keep her on her feet and keep his own balance as well. 'Aw, hell, what am I gonna do?' wondered Keitaro. 'She can't go home like this…' Sighing, he helped the intoxicated woman to the exit, no easy feat considering how much he'd drank as well.

Settling his tab, retrieving his jacket, and having Tsuruko sit down while he put it on, Keitaro went through his options. 'She's too drunk to send back to Kyoto. Take her back to Hinata House?' Shaking his head, he discarded that idea. 'Motoko idolizes her, if she sees her like this… Hell, I'll probably get blamed for it. And then beaten. She's gotta sleep this off…'

This left him with two options, neither of which was particularly appealing. Taking her to a regular hotel would require a cab ride and a credit card, which he'd neglected to bring with him when he'd walked out. The other option was a 'love hotel', and that was a problem on so many levels. The image of him leading a drunk woman to one of those…facilities…would look really bad.

'But there's one around the corner. I'm a long way from home, its dark outside, and I can check in with cash.' Keitaro mulled this over in his head. 'Not my first choice, but it'll have to do.' He'd check her in, drop her off, leave a note, and head home. Nodding to himself, he helped Tsuruko back to her feet, put her arm over his shoulder, and helped her down the stairs.

"Where are we going?" she murmured.

"Somewhere you can rest."

Tsuruko chuckled to herself. "See, you're even helping me. What did I do to deserve this?"

"Don't worry about it." Keitaro was too busy trying to keep them walking straight to worry about conversation. 'At least she can walk. Don't know what I'd have done if I'd had to carry her. She's kinda light for her size though…'

Even as intoxicated as he was, Keitaro wasn't stupid enough to voice that last thought.

The drunken pair reached the street and re-entered the cold rain, which cleared Keitaro's head a little. It also made the one block walk seem even longer. He couldn't help but notice that Tsuruko's presence at his side was kind of offsetting the chill in the air.

Keitaro shook his head to eradicate that thought. 'No good can come from thinking like that… Just get this over with!'

After about ten minutes, Keitaro and Tsuruko finally reached the hotel. To his immense relief, no one was around as he used the automatic check-in. He selected the first available room on the ground floor, stairs were absolutely NOT an option, and paid the overnight rate. 'It'll take more than an hour or two to sleep this off.'

He led her to the room, used the keycard to open the door, locked it behind them, and helped her settle onto the bed. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, he headed to the bathroom, as the coffee and brandy were taxing his bladder to its limits. After obtaining blessed relief, he washed his hands and went to check on Tsuruko and take a closer look at the room.

'Nice, actually… I was expecting a heart-shaped bed, satin sheets, or maybe a bondage rack. This almost looks…tasteful. Except for that mirror over the bed,' he amended.

A soft groan from the bed attracted his attention from the questionable décor. Tsuruko was lying on top of the sheets, fully clothed, as Keitaro hadn't dared try to undress her. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the very edge. "Are you alright?"

"Where, is this?"

"Don't worry about it. You can sleep here, and go home tomorrow if you wish. Room's paid for, just leave when you're ready."

"Why, why are you doing this for me?"

"You just needed some help," Keitaro answered with a weak smile.

Tsuruko closed her eyes and sighed. She opened them a moment later, looked Keitaro right into his eyes and in a hesitant voice, barely over a whisper, said "I think, I think I need something more than that…"

Before Keitaro could ask her what she meant, Tsuruko reached up, placed her hands behind his neck and head, and pulled a startled Keitaro down, meeting his lips with her own.

"Mnph! Mmplth nnght!" 'What the hell? She's kissing me! She's married! She's drunk! This is bad! This is really BAD!' These thoughts went through Keitaro's mind in less than a tenth of a second. He immediately tried to pull back, but even as tipsy as she was, Tsuruko was far stronger, and his efforts were in vain.

Still struggling, Keitaro's eyes widened further as Tsuruko forced her tongue into his mouth, rubbing it up against his own. His mind started to short circuit when he realized that his body was starting to react the way it normally would, if a drop-dead gorgeous woman was kissing him and holding herself against him. The stirring he felt in his loins horrified him more than anything in his life, even as his mind, on some level, realized that the experience was pleasurable.

Desperate, he managed to move his hands to Tsuruko's shoulders, and with strength born of panic, pushed himself up. Gasping for breath, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DO-Ack!" He was cut off when Tsuruko simply rolled over, forcing him on his back, and straddling him. She then grabbed one of his wrists in each hand and leaned forward, effectively pinning his arms over his head and resumed kissing him, now slowly grinding herself against him as well.

'Wrong! This is wrong! I have to stop this!' Despite Keitaro's frantic thoughts, there was little he could do. His arms were trapped, and if he tried moving his legs, it only made the contact between him and Tsuruko worse. Or better, depending how he looked at it.

By now, Tsuruko was kissing him under his chin, her warm breath caressing his neck, and nibbling his earlobes. Despite his fervent wishes, Keitaro was becoming sexually aroused, and his mind, which had initially opposed the encounter, was slowly but steadily dropping its objections.

"Tsuruko, this is wrong, you're married, you're drunk, you're not thinking right…" he murmured desperately, his resistance melting away.

"I've never thought clearer," she whispered huskily into his right ear, before she resumed suckling it.

Keitaro was himself intoxicated, which clouded his judgment. But if that had been the only factor, he would have been able to resist.

Tsuruko was an incredibly beautiful woman, and Keitaro found her attractive on many levels. But this alone would not have been enough to change his mind.

Keitaro's desperate longing to finally lose his virginity came into play. But on its own, it would not have carried the day.

Even the recent trouble that he'd had with Naru wasn't enough to push him over the brink.

But working together, all of these factors, greater than the sum of their parts, were enough to finally stamp out the last bit of resistance in Keitaro.

When Tsuruko kissed him again, and released his wrists, Keitaro placed one hand under her arm and on to her back, and the other hand behind her head. He willingly reciprocated the kiss, slipping his tongue into Tsuruko's mouth, where it dueled with hers. He moaned softly into her mouth when he felt her warm hand slip under his damp shirt and slide slowly up his chest.

Through everything that happened, the rain continued to fall, an unstoppable force of nature that would not cease until it was exhausted.

The same was true of the man and woman in the hotel room. Two desperate people who were in need of comfort and tried to find it in the other.

Old promises were forgotten.

Vows were broken.

The rain continued late into the night.

XXX

When dawn broke the next morning, the skies were clear and blue. All traces of the previous night's storm had vanished, save for some puddles here and there, and the odd sign of weather damage.

Sunlight pierced the windows of the love hotel and found Keitaro face down on the bed, his left arm hanging over the edge and resting on the floor. As he slowly regained consciousness, he was assaulted by the unmistakable symptoms of a hangover. The sunlight hurt his eyes, even though they were shut, but moving would be too painful, so he was forced to endure it. His head was pounding and he was hearing a faint buzzing in his ears.

'Someone, please, kill that fly. Quietly.' There wasn't much else he could do, so Keitaro killed time by studying the texture of the carpet with his fingertips. 'Man, weird dream… What did Shinobu put in that meal? I feel like… Wait. Carpet? There's no carpet in my room…'

As successive neurons were reluctantly kicked awake, more details made themselves known to Keitaro. 'I'm in a bed. This isn't my futon… This isn't my room…' With a growing sense of dread, he continued his analysis. 'What's that buzzing noise? That's not a bug, it sounds like…breathing. Oh, dear god, I didn't…'

Carefully, he opened his eyes, wincing and shutting them as naked sunlight dazzled him. Keitaro brought his left hand up to shield his eyes and took a look around. It was a hotel room, he was disturbed to realize. 'Which, which means that wasn't a dream? Oh no, oh please no…' With the terrified resignation of a man taking a seat in the electric chair, he slowly turned his head to the right, hoping to the last for his assumptions to be wrong, sending off silent prayers to every divine being in the pantheon.

Despite all his hopes and prayers, there was an apparently naked woman with black hair and her back to him sleeping on the other side of the bed. 'I, I'm naked too,' he belatedly realized. Panic induced desperation set in. 'May-maybe this isn't what it looks like, maybe that's Naru wearing a wig, maybe I just fell asleep and got out of my wet clothes before I did…'

His senses dispassionately put an end to these half-crazed thoughts. There was scent in the air that Keitaro had never encountered before, but on an instinctual level he knew what it was. There were stains on the bed sheets, and he knew with depressing certainty that he hadn't wet the bed. Finally, his last hope, that somehow that was Naru sleeping, was obliterated when Tsuruko rolled over onto her right side, naked as the day she was born. She stirred and reached out for him, sleepily murmuring "Toshio-kun…"

Keitaro's only response was a strangled gasp.

Tsuruko slowly opened her eyes, wincing as she did so. She blinked a few times to clear them before she locked her bleary eyes on Keitaro. "Toshio?" she asked, not having fully woken up. Then her focus came back and she found herself staring at Keitaro, whose face was frozen in a rictus of panic. "U-Urashima?"

Keitaro was incapable of speech at that moment, so all he could do was nod stiffly.

With a cry of horror, mixed with despair, Tsuruko sprang from the bed, hastily wrapping herself in a bed sheet when she realized she was naked.

Keitaro lurched back, managing to grab a pillow before he fell out of the bed and hit his head on the floor. Despite the way his head was spinning, he managed to cover himself with the pillow, preserving his modesty, if not his dignity.

The look on Tsuruko's face when she'd realized what had happened would haunt Keitaro until the day he died. "I, I'm sorry! Oh God, I'm sorry!" He felt tears forming in his eyes. His hangover was annihilated, blasted away by rage at himself for letting this happen, and self loathing. A voice in the back of his mind was cursing him for not getting a room on a higher floor.

"Why are you sorry?" Tsuruko asked numbly, after a few moments of looking around the room, hoping that there was another explanation for the current state of affairs.

"I, I should have left, I shouldn't have stayed, I should've sent you home, I shouldn't have forced myself…"

Tsuruko let out a bitter, humorless, laugh. "YOU forcing yourself on ME?" She started laughing, but it looked like she might end up crying herself.

"If I hadn't stayed-"

"I think I jumped YOU, remember? That's how I repaid your kindness..."

"It's not your fault!"

"Yes it is! I started it!"

"I could have left!" Keitaro desperately exclaimed.

Tsuruko fixed him with a withering glare. "As if you could have gotten away from me…"

Keitaro put his face in his hands, feeling sick to the very bottom of his soul. "I should have done something…"

"We'll talk more later," Tsuruko said, effectively terminating the discussion. "I need a shower. Don't… please don't leave while I'm using it." She walked into the bathroom without looking back.

Keitaro didn't even look up, he just held his head in his hands. 'I'm dead! I'm dead! I slept with Motoko's sister!' His thoughts stayed on this tangent until he heard Tsuruko clear her throat. He looked up and saw her standing on the other side of the bed, wearing a hotel bathrobe.

"It's your turn to shower," she said quietly.

"Okay." Keitaro slowly got to his feet and stiffly walked to the bathroom. He couldn't bear to look Tsuruko in the eyes. In the bathroom, he placed his hands on the sink, let out a shuddering sigh and reluctantly took a look in the mirror. The overhead lighting created shadows around his eyes, reminding him of images he'd seen of the damned.

"Fitting, isn't it?" he asked himself. He noticed that his back was a little sore, and he turned to look at it in the mirror. He couldn't hold back a gasp at what he saw. 'She, she scratched me!' Rows of fingernail scratches were running vertically along his shoulder blades. Thinking back, he recalled that she'd done that during one of her orgasms. 'If Naru or the others see this…' The probable reaction was too horrible for him to contemplate.

He stepped into the shower, hissing in pain as the hot water struck the fresh scratches on his back, and letting the water flow over him like he was a statue. 'What, what do I do? I'm the other man!'

No solutions came to him in the shower, despite what he'd seen on TV, so he simply did a through job of washing himself. It was if he believed that if he scrubbed hard enough, he could wash away his guilt and shame. He was also concerned that perhaps one of the residents would smell something on him and get suspicious.

Finally clean in body, if not soul, he put on another robe and left the washroom, half-dreading that Tsuruko would attack him in rage, and half-hoping that she would do a complete job if she did. Tsuruko was sitting on the bed, dressed as she'd been the night before. She silently watched as he walked over to his clothes and got dressed as quickly as he could.

"We need to talk."

Keitaro nearly jumped out of his skin. 'Don't be so goddamn jumpy! Calm down! How am I supposed to hide this if I act like this?' The advice was easier to think than to implement. With a quavering voice, he asked "N-now?"

Tsuruko shook her head. "Not here. I think we should leave."

"Yeah," rasped Keitaro.

The two of them left the room as fast as they could without actually running, Keitaro all but throwing the keycard into the return slot. They walked out into the sunlight, Keitaro wondering how it looked to people on the street. 'It _IS _exactly what it looks like,' he realized. 'This _WAS _a secret tryst.' this thought sent him spiraling further into depression.

Tsuruko and Keitaro walked to a coffee shop, by mutual unspoken accord, not the one that they'd been in the night before. They walked in, were seated and both ordered tea. The idea of drinking coffee made Keitaro's stomach turn, and not because of the hangover. Once served, they sat in an uncomfortable silence, neither wanting to speak first.

After a few interminable minutes, Keitaro realized that if he didn't say something he'd go insane. "About last night…" He kicked himself mentally for using such a stupid, cliché line.

Tsuruko was too preoccupied to care. "It wasn't your fault."

Keitaro sighed in frustration. "Yes it is! If I hadn't taken you there…"

"What else could you have done?"

"Taken you home, to a legitimate hotel, to Hinata House, something!"

Tsuruko chuckled mirthlessly. "How could you have known what would happen?"

"I should have dropped you off and ran like hell!"

"That's not your way, is it Urashima? You were worried about me. Even now, after what happened, you're still trying to take the blame for me. You're a very good man."

Keitaro massaged his temples. "I slept with a married woman. How's that make me a good man?"

"You're kind, compassionate, gentle, loyal, and you aren't cruel, even unwillingly. That makes you a good person." A distant look came over her eyes. "In some ways, a better man than my husband."

"What, what do you mean?"

Tsuruko looked him squarely in the eye. "Toshio can be a wonderful man. He's handsome, graceful, and charming. He never willingly causes pain, and he's supportive and understanding."

Listening to Tsuruko talk about her husband in such warm terms made Keitaro's sense of shame grow even more.

"But in some ways he isn't half as good as you are," Tsuruko added. "He can also be very cruel and abusive."

Keitaro blinked in shock. "He, he hits you?" he whispered.

She shook her head. "Sometimes words can be more hurtful than blades."

"…I know…"

"The sad part is he doesn't mean to be cruel. He doesn't know how his words hurt, or how bad it feels when he's cold and distant."

"Do, do you tell him?"

Tsuruko sighed deeply. "He doesn't see it as a problem. While he'd kill himself before he'd hit me, he doesn't believe that his words and actions can hurt even more."

Keitaro felt an almost overpowering urge to take her in his arms and comfort her. 'My God, this is tearing her up inside!'

"But you, you are the kindest, gentlest, most compassionate man I've ever known. And my sister wanted nothing to do with you. She's a fool."

Keitaro didn't know what to say, so he kept silent.

"Don't let her say that makes you less of a man. It takes more courage to be compassionate than to be cruel."

Keitaro pondered what Tsuruko had told him for a few minutes, mulling over the idea that there was more than one way to hurt someone. 'I know, Naru's words sometimes hurt worse than her fists.'

Then an unsettling thought entered his mind. The way she'd described him made a cold ball appear in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure that he wanted to ask the question that came to him, but he felt that he needed to know. "Why did you come here all the way from Kyoto? Were you planning on visiting Motoko or…?" He let the question trail off, afraid to even voice his concern. 'Or were you looking for someone? Me?'

"I came here to get away," Tsuruko replied evenly. "Wandering around Kyoto, I might have met some of my acquaintances, I didn't want to have to explain myself to them. I was a long way from Hinata House. I didn't expect to run into any of you."

Keitaro let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "So, what do we do?"

"I'm going home, I'd suggest you do the same."

"We keep it a secret?"

Tsuruko narrowed her eyes. "Unless you want to tell everyone."

"No, no, no, I'll keep my mouth shut. But, won't To- your husband suspect something?"

"I don't think so," Tsuruko replied. "He's never had reason to before. What about you?"

Keitaro slumped in his chair. "They might," he admitted. "I was gone overnight, who knows what they'll think."

"What will you tell them?" Tsuruko inquired softly.

"I'll think of something. Kitsune is going to hound me over this. But even if they do suspect something, they'll never suspect you. They wouldn't believe it was you even if I told them," Keitaro added grimly.

"Then that's it. We part ways and go home. It never happened."

"Yes."

"Take care Urashima," said Tsuruko as she stood up to leave. "And, thank you."

"For what?" he asked incredulously.

"For listening. For caring. For your compassion. For just being there for me."

'You're welcome, I guess," he replied awkwardly. "Take care, and, and, good luck Tsuruko."

"You too. Oh, and Keitaro?"

He blinked at the use of his first name. "Yes?"

"This is… unusual… but even though it shouldn't have happened… it was special." Tsuruko then turned and walked out, leaving no trace of her presence, save in Keitaro's memories.

Keitaro stayed in the café for another half hour, thinking about all that had happened in the last twelve hours. Then he sighed one last time, paid the bill, squared his shoulders, and began the journey back to Hinata House.

He wasn't sure what would happen now, but in his heart, he knew that things would never be the same again.

To Be Continued

Author's Notes: So, why am I wasting my time writing this instead of working of 'Aftermath'? Once again, the wall. I've hit it again, so I decided to take a different tack, and work on something else I've wanted to do for some time.

I've wanted to try a Tsuruko/Keitaro story for a while. I know that there are some already out there, but I didn't want to do a story that used Tsuruko's husband dying from cancer/car crash/struck by an engine that dropped off an over-flying 747, plot device. I felt it was a cop-out, and just a little too convenient. But I couldn't figure out how to start it.

Then I saw an idea posted by SimmyC.

…and that's when the light bulb went on.

After asking for, and receiving, his permission to borrow the idea, the story almost wrote itself.

Random1377 took a look at this story, and did his best to purge it of my sometimes wooden dialogue.

Thanks man!


	2. Rocks and Shoals

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

C+C is welcome at hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Goddamn QuickEdit…

This story idea was inspired by SimmyC, who graciously allowed me to pick up the ball and run with it.

Thanks Man!

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

Manga continuity, after the "Burn-Up Blade" story line

Love Hina:

Ships in the Night

Chapter Two: Rocks and Shoals

The walk back to Hinata House was interminable to Keitaro, but at the same time it felt as if it passed in a flash. He hadn't come directly home; he'd stopped in yet another coffee shop, gone to the washroom, secured himself in one of the stalls, and thoroughly examined his clothing.

Keitaro had been having nightmarish thoughts of entering the residence and having Naru walk up to him and pluck a long black hair off of his shoulder. Even if she didn't know whose hair it was, her reaction wouldn't be pleasant. 'If she even suspected whose it was, or even worse, Motoko…' he couldn't finish the thought and keep the nerve to return home.

Continuing to examine his clothes with a thoroughness that would have impressed a trained crime scene investigator, Keitaro found that more and more details of the previous night were coming back to him, like specters emerging from the fog. He had a particularly clear image of looking over Tsuruko's shoulder and seeing their writhing reflection in the mirror over the bed. Shaking his head to clear that thought, he struggled to stay focused on what he was doing.

He plucked a stray hair off of the back of one of his pant legs. 'Blonde? Don't they ever vacuum those rooms? Maybe it's alright,' he mused. 'Who knows whose hair is in those rooms. Still…' There was no reason to give Naru and Motoko any more ammunition than necessary. 'Explaining where I was is going to be bad enough…'

Satisfied that he was as presentable as possible, and with no apparent evidence of his transgression, he'd resumed his journey home, briefly detouring to buy a pack of cigarettes. He lit one, gagging terribly, and blew the smoke over himself, trying to disguise any possible olfactory evidence. Discarding the finished cigarette, along with the rest of the pack, he continued walking until he found himself staring up the stairs to Hinata House.

Taking a deep breath to marshal his courage, and finishing the soda he'd bought to chase away the cigarette breath, he slowly began his ascent, using all of his willpower to put up an innocent, but haggard, front. With one last calming breath, he opened the front door and announced his return. "I'm home!"

"Sempai!" cried Shinobu. "Where were you? I was so worried!" She ran up to him and gave him a grateful hug, before she realized what she was doing and stepped back, blushing furiously.

Summoned by his call, the other residents quickly made their way into the living room. "Where were you Keitaro?" Naru asked, keeping her voice strangely neutral, and watching him closely.

"Lemme guess, you met some hot babe and spent the night in a love hotel, right?" teased Kitsune.

Keitaro had been expecting and preparing for Kitsune making just such a comment, and so he was able to prevent himself from going ashen. "No, no, no, nothing like that." He was still a little disturbed by the mock accusation. Fortunately, the residents put down his demeanor as embarrassment, not guilt.

Motoko took a step towards him and regarded him closely. Keitaro did his best to not fidget under her scrutiny. She then wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You smell like one of Haruka's ashtrays, Urashima."

"What happened last night?" Naru asked, her face betraying no emotion.

"I went for a walk."

"I know," Naru growled. "Where were you?"

"I was walking around, got soaked, and went into some smokey bar to warm up." While walking home, Keitaro had decided that his best option was to stick to the truth as much as possible. With minor omissions. "I stayed too long, drank too much, and could hardly stand. I staggered to a hotel, checked in, and passed out."

"Why didn't you call a cab?" asked Shinobu.

"Too expensive."

A grin came over Kitsune's face. "You should have told me what you were planning. Next time, mention my name."

"Why?"

"Most bars around here have a cot set up for me for when I've had too much," she informed him cheerfully.

Keitaro paused to consider that, and realized that Kitsune probably wasn't kidding. "I see… Well, I'm home now…" He moved away, planning on heading for his room, when Naru stopped him cold with a hand on his shoulder.

"Hold it. Where are you going now?"

"I stink like cigarettes, Naru." Keitaro replied. "I need some clean clothes and a bath."

"Didn't you wash up this morning?" inquired Motoko.

Keitaro smiled weakly. "You know what goes on in those hotels. I feel… dirty."

Naru yanked back her hand with a disgusted look. She briefly considered pounding Keitaro, but she'd have to touch him again to do it. She stared at her hand, a sick look on her face. "Shinobu, where's the bleach?"

Taking this as his cue to leave, Keitaro started up the stairs, only to stop short when Naru called out to him. "Hey Keitaro?"

He looked back over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"Call next time, alright? Shinobu was worried, you know?"

The ghost of a smile she gave him sent a pang of guilt through Keitaro. "I understand." He couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze.

XXX

Safely inside his private bath, Keitaro allowed himself to drop his guard. 'I, I did it…' His success gave him little satisfaction, for which he was somewhat reassured. 'I don't want to have to do that again…' He knew he had to though. He had to conceal this for the rest of his life. If he didn't, the 'rest of his life' would only be as long as he kept it a secret.

With this thought at the back of his mind, he disrobed, and gave himself a through examination. He looked at this back in the mirror. The scratches were still there, ten parallel red streaks running vertically up and down his shoulder blades. 'I hope those heal without scarring.' Fortunately, there were no other scratches, but looking down at himself, Keitaro noticed something else he'd overlooked up to now. 'Is-is that a bite mark?'

At the very top of his left leg, there was, in fact, a bite mark. Keitaro was almost certain that he hadn't put it there himself. In a flash, he remembered. Tsuruko had been kissing him around that area, when she'd playfully bitten him. She'd chuckled softly when he'd squawked, before she'd smiled wickedly at him, moved her head to the left and…

When he felt himself beginning to stir, Keitaro slammed his fist into the wall, wincing in pain, but at the same time welcoming the overwhelming sensation, using it to clear the vivid recollection from his mind. 'Quit thinking about that! This isn't something for pleasant recollection!' Cradling his now throbbing hand, Keitaro went to the little shower and turned the cold water on full blast. Sharply drawing in a breath as the frigid water washed over him, reminding him of his walk the night before, he used the shockingly cold water to drive away the heated memories.

Satisfied that his X-rated trip down memory lane had been cancelled, or at least postponed, Keitaro eased himself into the tub. The hot water worked to relax his tense muscles, but it did nothing to ease his troubled thoughts. 'How did this happen? How did I let this happen?' He believed he knew the answer, but he was having difficulty reconciling himself with the fact.

'I wanted it, didn't I?' he wondered. 'If I really wanted to stop it, I could have done more, couldn't I? And why did I leave last night? I've taken worse beatings than that. God… If only I'd stayed home…' Keitaro slumped down in the tub, the water just under his nose. 'The one time I decide to go away to clear my head, this happens… Who did I piss off in a previous life?'

In addition to his indiscretion, Keitaro was troubled by the fact that the experience had been so enjoyable. Under different circumstances, and with a different girl, (a certain bespectacled brunette resident came to mind) he might have felt victorious this morning. He'd finally gotten laid! He wasn't a virgin anymore. Maybe the alcohol had helped, but it hadn't been the clumsy, fumbling with each other, amateur experience that some of his classmates had admitted to, it had been an experience to write home about. Well, maybe not home, but certainly to some of the magazines he had discretely hidden away in his room…

Despite the guilt he was feeling, Keitaro felt a bittersweet smile come over his features as he mentally replayed part of the night. 'She was so beautiful, so patient with me, so… playful. Is she always like that?' he found himself wondering. 'When we…did it…she was so gentle, even when I-'

Keitaro lurched up in the tub suddenly, sending water cascading over the edge. "Oh shit!"

"Are you okay Keitaro?" came Naru's voice from just outside the door.

Keitaro paled. 'Are they listening outside?' "I-I'm alright Naru, I, I just stubbed my toe, that's all…" He silently prayed that Naru wouldn't come in to check on him. It was unlikely, but before last night, he wouldn't have bet on a one night stand with Tsuruko either.

"Your toe? Jeez Keitaro, you sounded like you'd found a body in there. Grow up a little." Keitaro heard steps retreating away from the door, and Naru muttering, "Idiot…"

One crisis dealt with, Keitaro went back to the more pressing issue. 'We didn't use protection!' he recalled in a panic. 'I, I could, she could…' He couldn't even get his thoughts in order. Even thought the water in the tub was hot, Keitaro found himself start to tremble. 'A dad, I, I could be a dad…' His head swam as he contemplated the possible outcomes of his mistake. A few minutes earlier, he'd been feeling some relief that the worst was over. Now he was realizing the full scope and possible consequences of his error.

Keitaro tried to calm himself down. 'Take it easy, this isn't a soap opera, she doesn't have to get pregnant after one night… I probably have a single digit sperm count anyway…' A few minutes more of self-depreciation, and Keitaro was feeling a little more at ease. But he couldn't push the thought that Tsuruko could possibly be carrying his child completely out of his mind. 'I'll know in a couple of weeks, I guess…'

Having somewhat reassured himself, Keitaro allowed himself to sink back down into the tub, feeling the liquid warmth washing over him. He closed his eyes and tried to let himself drift away from all of his troubles for awhile. But he couldn't stop himself from having images of a heart-broken and tearful Naru from entering his mind, or stem the tide of memories of the night with Tsuruko.

When his frenetic mind finally allowed him to doze off, his last waking thought was of Tsuruko. If one of the residents had entered the bathroom to wake him, they would have wondered about the enigmatic smile he was wearing as he slept.

XXX

Over the next couple of days, things slowly got back to normal at Hinata House. More than one resident noted that Keitaro seemed especially twitchy; they'd had to pry him off the ceiling after they told him that there was a call for him. He seemed to collapse with relief when it was only a telemarketer. He appeared to calm down after a week, and got back to his usual behavior

There were fewer incidents of Keitaro doing something stupid and getting clobbered for it, and this was due to Keitaro, Naru, and Motoko working together towards a common goal, although none of them knew about the other. Keitaro was taking great pains to not do anything really dumb, like entering a room without warning, and being very careful where he placed his hands at all times. 'After all, if I don't do something stupid, they won't get mad, right?' he told himself.

Acting independently, Naru and Motoko had both decided to cut Keitaro a little slack and give him a chance to explain himself before they reacted. Their decision to act more reasonably, combined with Keitaro's efforts to deal with his clumsiness, caused a noticeable decline in the amount of collateral damage inflicted on Hinata House. Keitaro was spending a lot less time repairing the walls and roof, and Naru and Motoko weren't so angry all the time.

November gave way to December; rain gave way to snow, and soon Hinata house was covered by a beautiful white blanket. Spirits were high, due to both the season and the measurable drop in tension in the residence. Keitaro and Naru were getting along better, the former working hard to avoid doing stupid things, and the latter struggling to not lash out prematurely. Even Motoko would admit that Keitaro's behavior had improved in her eyes. There were still mix-ups that resulted in Keitaro getting pounded, but they were far less frequent. Outwardly, Keitaro appeared to be calm and focused, mindful of his actions, and clear of conscience.

Inwardly, it was a whole different story…

Anytime the residents, especially Naru, smiled at him, or complimented him, Keitaro felt a sharp pang of guilt. He hadn't forgotten his transgression with Tsuruko, and he wasn't sure he would ever be able to forgive himself. It didn't matter to him that no one else knew; he knew. He had to look in the mirror every morning, and he didn't like the face he saw there. He had lied to people who trusted him, and he had to continue to do so.

Ironically, the accusations of being a pervert had almost completely stopped, but only after he'd done something to earn that title. If he'd been in a different mindset, that might have struck him as amusing. If he wanted to salve his conscience, he would have to talk about it, but there was no one he could talk to. Talking to any of the residents would have been tantamount to suicide. He didn't think that Seta could keep this confidential, and Haruka… Keitaro wasn't sure how she would react, and if he guessed wrong…

What really tormented Keitaro however, was the mixed feelings he was having about his one night stand. If he was only feeling shame, regret, guilt and remorse, than he would have felt better about himself. He would have felt like an otherwise decent guy who made one horrible mistake.

But when he inevitably thought of Tsuruko, the feelings that welled up inside him weren't entirely negative…

As awful as he felt about what had happened, if he been given an opportunity to live that night over, he couldn't say with absolute conviction that he would change how things had played out.

Keitaro's mind was awash with a confusing array of emotions. He had no experience with what he was feeling at the moment. 'I've never had an affair before,' he thought miserably. 'I've never even had SEX before. What am I supposed to feel? What am I supposed to do?'

Through it all, he kept up his façade of normalcy, never daring to give even a glimpse of the emotional turmoil he was enduring. He continued to be 'an improved Keitaro' as Naru had thought of him, bearing his cross in silent torment.

Christmas came, and with it the exchanging of presents. Both his budget and his gift giving skills had improved with time, and his gifts to the residents were more heartfelt and appreciated. Naru in particular loved the beautiful silk scarf that he gave her. When asked where he'd found it, he'd chuckled nervously and said it was just some shop downtown.

He wasn't about to tell her that it had been a lingerie shop, or that he found himself wondering what Naru would look like in some of the items in the store. And he would absolutely never reveal, even upon pain of death, what had happened during his fantasy. As he imagined Naru in a rather slinky black demi-cup bra and thong panties, the image in his mind changed; the hair grew darker, the skin lighter, the height taller, and the bust larger, until the picture in his mind's eye had morphed from Naru to Tsuruko.

Shaken, and more aroused than he cared to admit, Keitaro had shaken his head to clear the sudden intrusion, grabbed the first thing that wasn't overtly sexual, paid, and bolted from the store as if his tail feathers were on fire. Outside the store, he'd opened his jacket, letting the frigid air wash over him, shocking his mind into clarity. It wasn't the first time he'd had a fantasy starring Tsuruko, but it was the first time where she'd replaced Naru. He'd walked back to Hinata House slowly, wondering if his mind would ever let him live it down.

While visiting the shrine on New Year's Day, he offered silent wishes that he could learn to forgive himself for his mistake, and that his thoughts would cease taunting him. When he drew a fortune, he didn't get 'worst luck', and he was actually thrilled to get a 'little luck' fortune. The residents thought it was strange to see Keitaro celebrating such a small bit of fortune, but they put it down to his natural optimism. After all, how many people would have kept trying for Tokyo University after failing three times?

XXX

"Flammable and inflammable mean the same thing… to-_may_-to, to-_mah_-to, po-_tay_-to, po-_tah_-to…" grumbled Naru.

Keitaro felt a strange compulsion to break into song…

"'Goose' plural is 'geese', but 'moose' plural isn't 'meese…' 'mouse' plural is 'mice', but 'house' plural isn't 'hice…' Arrgh! I hate English!" snarled Naru, throwing her notes up in frustration.

"What, what's wrong Naru?" a startled Keitaro asked.

"Stupid English!" she seethed. "I know it's important, knowledge of commerce and all that, but it drove me nuts on the entrance exam, and it still drives me crazy!"

Keitaro smiled weakly. "It is difficult, isn't it?"

Naru let out a deep breath. "More frustrating than anything else. My brain hurts…"

"We could take a break…" Keitaro offered.

"No, no, gotta keep sharp Keitaro. Midterms are only three months away."

"But it's such a nice day…"

"Cold as hell though. It IS the middle of January, remember?" Naru groused.

Keitaro shrugged, and went back to his studies. After less than a minute he asked Naru, "Would you rather it was another language?"

"Like what?"

Keitaro pointed to Tama-chan happily flying around the room. "How about turtlese?"

Naru smiled in spite of her frustration. "Only Mutsumi would do well then. Would you like us to learn your language Tama-chan?"

"Myuh!"

"I can't tell if that was yes, no, or I'm hungry…"

"Myuh! Myuh!"

"Relax Tama-chan, I'm just teasing," Naru reassured the airworthy hot-springs turtle. Having burned through some of her aggravation, she went back to her school work, wrapping her housecoat tighter around herself and sliding more of herself under the kosatsu.

A knock came from the door. "Sempai?"

"What is it Shinobu?"

"Would you and Naru like some tea?"

Naru nodded as Keitaro replied, "Sure, come in."

Shinobu entered bearing a tray with two steaming cups of tea and a plate of cookies. "I, I brought a snack as well…"

"Thank you Shinobu," Keitaro beamed.

Shinobu blushed in response and found herself studying her fingertips. "You-you're welcome Sempai." She turned to leave, but when she reached the door she added, "It-it's nice to see you and Naru getting along so well…"

"Huh? What do you mean Shinobu?" asked a surprised Naru.

Really uncomfortable at being put on the spot, Shinobu replied, "You haven't been hitting him as much, Naru-sempai. Excuse me, I need to go…" Without so much as another word, Shinobu closed the door, and the sounds of her rapidly retreating footfalls could be heard.

Naru's eyes lost their focus as she appeared to be considering something. She then refocused her gaze on Keitaro, who fidgeted under her scrutiny. "What?" he asked nervously.

"She's right."

"If, if you say so…" Keitaro guardedly replied.

Naru slowly smiled. "I guess you can be a good guy if you want."

Keitaro's reaction wasn't what Naru expected. Instead of puffing up with pride, he actually slumped, and Naru was sure she saw him wince. "Thanks…"

'What's up with him?' Naru wondered, a little curious about his reaction. She wasn't concerned enough to ask him about it though, so she resumed studying her hated English and sipping tea.

'Even now, I can't forget…' Keitaro mused silently. 'Even praise reminds me…' He had been trying to behave himself, but mainly due to his guilt, and his attempts to keep it a secret. Under different circumstances the smile Naru had given him would have warmed his heart, but he found himself comparing it to the smile of another.

Keitaro viciously shook his head to clear it. 'Keep focused on your studies…' Immersing himself in his school work did help him keep memories and feelings at bay, he'd discovered. Besides, he always enjoyed studying with Naru. He threw himself into his studies, American History at the moment, and used the history of the race to the moon to clear his mind. He had worked his way from Alan Sheppard's suborbital flight up to Wally Schirra, Don Eisle, and Walt Cunningham in Apollo 7, when Naru interrupted his concentration.

Naru stretched, yawned, and announced, "I need a nap." She then slid three-quarters of the way under the kosatsu and told Keitaro to wake her in an hour or so. "Oh yeah, don't even THINK about trying to kiss me when I'm asleep," she warned.

Keitaro stammered that he understood and watched as Naru took off her glasses, lay down, and fell asleep within moments. Try to kiss her? He wasn't stupid enough to try that again. Although he wouldn't have minded it…

Sighing, he resumed his review of the U.S. space program, but he found that his heart wasn't in it anymore. He closed his books and took a long look at the dozing Naru. 'She's beautiful when she's sleeping. Just like an angel…' Unwittingly, his thoughts started traveling on an unwelcome, but by now familiar path. 'I wonder if Naru's kisses would be as nice as Tsuruko's…' He and Naru had kissed a few times, but nothing like what had happened-

"Damn it!" Keitaro hissed, feeling a sudden urge to slap himself. He was doing it again, comparing Naru and Tsuruko. He also realized that he was feeling the initial stirrings of sexual arousal. 'I need to get out of here. Now.' He got to his feet and walked out, not trusting himself to even glance back at Naru.

He closed the door behind him and walked down the hall, down the stairs and headed for the first floor. In the living room he almost literally ran into Shinobu. "Sempai! What's going on? Is something wrong?"

Keitaro smiled at the resident chef. "No Shinobu, nothing's wrong," he reassured her. "I just got tired of sitting around, I need to go for a walk, that's all."

"But, what about Naru?"

"She's sleeping. Don't worry, I'll be back in an hour or so…"

Shinobu smile in appreciation. "Dress warm Sempai," she advised him. "It's cold outside."

"I know, thanks." He grabbed his thickest jacket, put his shoes on and walked out. The cold air hit him like a slap, chilling all his exposed skin, and flowing into his mouth and nose, making him hiss. His breath became fog in the frigid temperature, and it took Keitaro a moment to get accustomed to it. Zipping his jacket all the way up and putting his hands into his pockets, he went down the steps and began his walk.

The cold air helped clear Keitaro's mind, and it cooled off his feverish thoughts. The walk also helped burn off some of his nervous energy, and he felt himself start to calm down and regain his focus. 'That's better… Just like a cold shower…' He'd needed a few of those over the past couple months, when his mind would spontaneously start remembering that night, and his body acted accordingly. It could happen without warning, anytime, anywhere. Even nearly three months later, the memories were still fresh in his mind.

Keitaro's thoughts were under control now, but he found himself wondering about Tsuruko. 'Did she work things out with her husband? Did they talk? Did she tell him what happened? Probably not, I'm still alive…' His thoughts of Tsuruko were either intense recollections of their night together, or ruminations of what she might be going through. 'Do you ever think of me? Remember that night fondly? With regret? Both? Or did you put it out of your mind?'

Keitaro was puzzled by his curiosity. He knew it was selfish, but he couldn't help but want to know if she was having the same reactions he was months later. Once, he had even briefly entertained the thought of dropping by to check on her, before dismissing it as foolish, as well as possibly fatal. 'It's bad enough now, don't be making it worse,' he reprimanded himself.

The landlord of Hinata House came upon a bench and decided to sit down for awhile. He sat down, letting out a small yelp when the cold metal made its presence known, even through his clothes. He put his head back and stared at the clear blue sky, letting his thoughts wander. Images of the two women who had had the greatest impact on his life danced through his head. One beautiful and studious, whose fierce temper belied an especially soft, tender side, the other graceful and gorgeous; seemingly invulnerable, but concealing some personal pain.

"What do I do?" he asked the heavens. If the heavens had an answer for him, they kept it to themselves. After ten minutes or so of silent contemplation, Keitaro resigned himself to not having any solutions fall into his lap, so he got up and headed for home. 'Naru wanted me to wake her up anyway. I guess there's nothing I can do but just deal with it. Try to move on, I suppose. Now if I can just keep myself focused on my studies…'

XXX

"Kei-Keitaro!" the breathy voice softly gasped.

"Tsuruko…"

"Gah!" With a start, Keitaro's eyes snapped open, the combination of dream and memory still sharp in his mind. He was soaked with sweat, he was breathing hard, and his boxers were struggling to contain his erection.

"Not again…" he murmured quietly. "Why won't it stop?"

In addition to having to deal with memories during the day, Keitaro'd had his sleep interrupted many times by either nightmares or more pleasant dreams. The nightmares always involved the truth being discovered, and featured either Naru throwing an especially powerful punch at him when he was pinned against a brick wall, or Motoko's blade traveling towards his throat. He always woke up before either connected, and one night his terrified scream had roused the other residents.

When asked what spooked him, he'd had to lie, yet again, and say that he couldn't remember. Shinobu then made him some hot chocolate, which he'd guiltily accepted, while the other residents returned to bed, grumbling at the loss of sleep.

Tonight's dream had been the other type.

Keitaro'd had erotic dreams before. They'd increased in frequency since he'd taken over as manager of Hinata House. Living here was like living in a hentai version of Disneyland; he'd seen more naked flesh, albeit accidentally, than he ever imagined possible. He'd even gotten rid of most his dirty magazines, as they were embarrassing to have, and he usually ended up seeing the real thing anyway.

But since that rainy night in November, they had happened far more frequently, and they were more…vivid…and went into much greater detail. Keitaro figured it was because before that night, it was only fantasy, speculation. Since then, it was mostly memory. Naru had been all but supplanted in his nocturnal fantasies, Tsuruko now reigned supreme. Many, many mornings Keitaro discovered that he'd have to discretely dispose of his underwear. He'd even started doing all of his own laundry. He'd told Shinobu that he was doing it to give her a break, but he was actually terrified of what the others would think if they somehow got a look at his laundry.

Keitaro looked at the clock. 3:12 AM. His state of arousal was so high, and he'd been so close to climaxing, that there was only one thing he could do, no matter how ashamed it made him feel. He bit his lip and started stroking himself, pleasure, shame and guilt warring in him for dominance. Eventually pleasure won out, but it was quickly replaced by guilt and shame.

Once again, he hadn't thought of Naru, Kitsune, or even Motoko. He'd remembered the night with Tsuruko as he'd obtained some relief.

'Why can't I get over this?' he asked himself.

'Perhaps because it was so good?' another part of his mind answered.

It was true, the experience had been better than he had ever dared to hope it would be. In locker room talk he'd heard some of his classmates admit that their first time had been unmitigated disasters, either from being unable to perform, to one case of the girl's father walking in on them. The conventional wisdom seemed to be that the first time didn't really count, that it was for practice really.

'So why did everything work so well for me?' he thought morosely. It was as if all of his luck was good that night; neither had been too intoxicated to perform, neither had thrown up or passed out, and there hadn't been any interruptions. Yes, the setting and circumstances had been perfect. What more could any couple have asked for?

"We're not a couple," Keitaro murmured. "It was mistake, why can't I stop thinking about it?" It was bad enough that he found himself thinking of Tsuruko during the day, but she haunted his dreams at night as well. Sated, and not proud of himself in the least, Keitaro finished cleaning himself with the tissues that he now kept by the side of the bed. Rolling over onto his side, Keitaro closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep.

But tonight, sleep did not come easily after he'd finished. With a sigh, he got up and walked over to the window, looking up at the moon as it passed through the clear, dark sky. He watched Earth's nearest neighbor for untold minutes, trying vainly to sort out the maelstrom of emotions that he was still enduring, even after all this time. Finally he closed his eyes and lowered his head.

'I have to stop this, don't I? I can't keep acting like this, I need to be a man about this.' He chuckled bitterly at that thought. Be a man. According to his classmates, he already was. He'd finally gotten laid, and the woman had no interest in a relationship, and probably would never see him again. 'Yeah, you the man Keitaro,' he thought with some disgust. A real man would be celebrating, bragging to his friends. 'But here's Keitaro, torn-up by his conscience. Why can't I be like other men? But do I really want to be like that?' he asked himself.

'_Conscience makes cowards of us all…'_

Shakespeare had written that, if Keitaro wasn't mistaken. His conscience didn't make him a coward, it just made it difficult to live with himself. In the end, he decided that in a strange way, he felt better about the fact that he still felt bad about what had happened. "Guess that's what makes me a good man," he told his darkened room.

There was nothing more he could do except continue to try and live with the daily rebukes from his conscience. With an air of resignation, Keitaro returned to his futon, making a mental note to empty out his trash bin in the morning. Laying down and closing his eyes, he told himself that he'd do more to try and keep his baser emotions on a shorter leash. He'd made that promise before, and usually increasing his scholastic efforts helped in the short term.

But if the trend continued, he'd probably have to devote his entire life to scholastic efforts…

XXX

"Happy valentine's Day!" announced Kitsune, as she handed Keitaro a garishly wrapped parcel.

"Thanks Kitsune." Keitaro opened the package and found a package of chocolate, a much nicer gift than the time she'd given him a 10 yen chocolate. 'Wait for it…'

"Now that that's out of the way," Kitsune continued, "Here's what you can get me for White Day." She handed Keitaro an exhaustive list.

Keitaro smiled and shook his head. 'Kitsune doesn't believe that it's better to give than to receive, obviously,' he noted good naturedly. He'd get her something nice, but he'd have to sell the residence to get her everything on her list, and probably have to take out a loan on top of that.

"Hey Keitaro! Happy Valentine's Day!" cried out Su, as she jumped on his shoulders and jammed some chocolate into his mouth. Fortunately for Keitaro this year the chocolate was filled with peanut butter instead of curry or cayenne pepper. After managing to chew and swallow the mouthful, he gasped out, "Thanks Su. But just hand it to me next time willya?"

Su merely grinned in response.

Keitaro had stopped loathing Valentine's Day since becoming the manager of Hinata House. Before then, he'd never received any chocolate, and had to secretly give it to himself to avoid embarrassment.

"Urashima"

"Yes Motoko?"

"Here." She handed him an unwrapped package of chocolate, one that wasn't quite as nice as the one that Kitsune had given him.

'Giri-choco,' Keitaro thought. Chocolate you give because you have to. "Thanks Motoko," he replied with a smile. At least she hadn't given him a block of baking chocolate this year…

"S-sempai…"

Keitaro felt a warm smile come over his features. Shinobu's Valentine's Day gift was always the highlight of the day. Her gifts were always the nicest, and he always appreciated them. "Yes Shinobu?"

"H-Happy Valentine's Day! P-please accept my chocolate!" Shinobu stammered, almost forcing the words out as she blushed furiously.

"Thank you Shinobu." He opened the package and found a lovely handmade chocolate heart. Keitaro beamed at her, causing her heart rate to nearly double. "It looks wonderful."

"You're welcome sempai…" Shinobu was now an interesting shade of scarlet, and she seemed to find her hands fascinating.

"My turn. Here you go Keitaro, Happy Valentines Day," said Naru, as she handed him a box wrapped in gold foil.

The smile Naru was giving him made Keitaro's heart flip. "Th-thank you Naru," he breathed. 'Is she wearing make-up?' he wondered. 'She looks really good today. She's wearing the scarf I got her for Christmas too…'

"You've really improved yourself, haven't you?" Naru asked.

"If, if you say so," he replied, his cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

"Yes, Urashima, your behavior is much improved," added Motoko.

"Thanks." The unexpected praise made him self-conscious.

"Sempai, would you like some hot chocolate?"

"Yes Shinobu, that sounds nice…" Keitaro followed the blue haired chef into the kitchen, while the others went about their business, save Kitsune, who resumed lounging on the sofa and drinking beer. She had the TV tuned to some soap opera, and was lost in the absurd plot twists when she heard a knocking at the front door.

Looking around, she saw that no one else was making any movement to answer it, so she reluctantly got to her feet, grumbling to herself about landlords who didn't take care of their responsibilities, and walked to the door. Idly brushing her hair with her hand she opened the door. "Hello, welcome to Hinata House. Can I help you?"

The gentleman caller looked at her closely for a second and asked a question of his own. "This is the Hinata rooming house for girls?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Kitsune answered wryly. 'He's kinda cute,' she thought to herself. "Are you looking for a room for your daughter?"

The man shook his head. "Keitaro Urashima is the owner and landlord here, correct?"

"Yes." Kitsune was now a little curious about this stranger at their door.

"Could I speak with him please?"

"With Keitaro?"

The man nodded.

"Who's calling?"

"An acquaintance," the man replied evenly.

'Old friend of Keitaro's?' Kitsune pondered. 'Classmate? Boyfriend?' The last thought made her smirk. "Wait here, I'll get him."

The stranger at the door didn't reply at all.

Kitsune walked into the kitchen and found Keitaro, Shinobu, and Naru all sipping from steaming mugs of hot chocolate. "Hey Keitaro, someone's here to see you."

"A delivery?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Giving in to her nasty impulse, Kitsune waited for Keitaro to take a sip before answering. "Probably an old boyfriend," she replied. She laughed as Keitaro started coughing when some of the hot chocolate tried to pay a visit to his lungs.

"That's not funny Kitsune," growled Naru, as Shinobu went dead white.

"Oh yes it was," gloated Kitsune.

Ignoring the banter, Keitaro got to his feet, picked up his mug and headed for the door, trying to recover his breath. When he got to the door, he found a man a few years older than him, with striking features and longer hair.

"Keitaro Urashima?"

"Yes, that's me."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Keitaro was wracking his brain trying to figure out who this visitor was. "Forgive me for sounding rude, but I have no idea who you are."

The man smiled broadly. "We've never met, but we have a mutual friend."

"Oh? Who?"

"Tsuruko Aoyama."

At the mention of her name, Keitaro felt the blood drain from his face. He could only imagine that his face was a perfect caricature of horror.

"I'm her husband." Toshio was still smiling, but his eyes had gone as cold as liquid nitrogen.

All other ambient noise vanished, and Keitaro never heard the sound the mug of hot chocolate made when it shattered on the floor, dropped from his suddenly nerveless fingers.

Continued

Once again, thanks to Random1377 for pre-reading this sucker. Sorry man, reading my first drafts must be like passing a kidney stone.

…the size of a basketball

Author's Notes: All right, all right, because of the incessant, and frequent, demands, I WILL post a revised LEMON edition of the first chapter at mediaminer(dot)org and AdultFanFiction(dot)net.

I'm working on it.

Get offa my back already, willya? That means you too, Random…


	3. Shots Across the Bow

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

C+C is welcome at hawker748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Goddamn QuickEdit…

This story idea was inspired by SimmyC, who graciously allowed me to pick up the ball and run with it.

Thanks Man!

Lemon content is now up at mediaminer(dot)org and adultfanfiction(dot)net

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

Manga continuity, after the "Burn-Up Blade" story line

Love Hina:

Ships in the Night

Chapter Three: Shots Across the Bow

"Sempai! SEMPAI! Are you alright?"

"W-what? Shinobu?"

"Are you hurt?"

"What do you mean?"

"You dropped the hot chocolate. Are you cut?"

Keitaro looked down and realized that he was standing in a puddle of hot chocolate. 'How'd that happen?' he wondered. 'I was talking with Toshio and-' Keitaro's thought process seized when he remembered exactly who Toshio was. "I-I'm okay Shinobu, I'm just clumsy." He looked up and saw Toshio still standing there, smiling warmly, unless you looked at his eyes.

Forcing down the impulse to run for his life, Keitaro turned to Tsuruko's husband and managed to squeak out, "Toshio, do you mind waiting outside? We-we can talk in a few minutes. I, I need to clean this up…"

To Keitaro's surprise, Toshio agreed. "No problem, take all the time that you need." Nodding politely to Shinobu, he turned around and walked back towards the steps.

Shinobu watched the stranger leave. "Um, sempai, who was that?" She was concerned that Keitaro had gone ghostly pale, and she swore she could hear his heart beating.

"Friend of a friend," he murmured. "I need to clean this up and go talk with him."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Shinobu," Keitaro reassured her. "Mug just slipped, that's all. I'll clean it up, don't worry."

"Okay sempai…" Shinobu was still a little concerned, but she wasn't sure she could do anything. She returned to the kitchen and left Keitaro to his task.

'Shit, shit, shit…' This thought was on an endless loop in Keitaro's head, as he cleaned up the hot chocolate and shards of the mug on autopilot. He contemplated the odds of living to see another sunset; they frightened him, but there was nothing he could do.

Clean up complete, Keitaro grabbed a jacket, pulled on some shoes and walked out the door. There was always the hope that he'd taken so long to clean up that Toshio had given up and gone home. No such luck. Toshio was waiting for him at the top of the stairs.

"Wasn't sure if you were going to make a run for it," Toshio remarked.

"Would it have made a difference?" Keitaro asked weakly.

Toshio shook his head. "No."

"Didn't think so…"

"Walk with me Keitaro." Without waiting for a response, Toshio turned and walked down the steps.

Afraid of disobeying him, Keitaro fell into step beside Toshio. 'Is he worried about embarrassing me?' Keitaro pondered. 'Or were there just too many witnesses for him to kill me back there?' Not liking this current train of thought, Keitaro tried to figure out how to explain his actions, but he realized that all his rationalizations felt hollow even to him.

The two men walked in silence, Toshio obviously not interested in casual conversation, and Keitaro too scared to say anything. 'Besides, maybe he doesn't know I slept with his wife. Yeah, right…' Keitaro had seen the look in Toshio's eyes. He knew. And he knew that Keitaro knew that he knew. 'He's probably just trying to frighten me a little before he kills me. And he's succeeding…'

Keitaro barely noticed any of the details of the walk, he was so wrapped up in his own fears. He did notice that they seemed to be staying in the downtown area, which he found a little reassuring. 'Still plenty of witnesses… Unless he's too pissed off to care…' Considering what Keitaro had done, he couldn't rule this out.

Finally, Toshio stopped in front of a coffee shop. "Come inside," he ordered.

'Another goddamn coffee shop,' fumed Keitaro. All this had started in a coffee shop, and if he never entered one again, it would be too soon. He let out a sigh. 'Least it's not a dark alley,' he reassured himself.

They sat down at a booth, and Toshio ordered tea for the both of them. The drink didn't really matter to Keitaro, but he was relieved that Toshio hadn't ordered coffee. The server brought them their tea, and the two men faced each other over the table, Toshio calmly sipping his tea, while Keitaro's mug shook whenever he held it.

The silence seemed to go on forever to Keitaro, and the absurdity of the situation struck home. Here he was, sitting peacefully in a coffee shop, civilly drinking tea with the husband of the woman he'd slept with almost four months earlier.

Toshio didn't seem to be carrying a sword, although if Motoko could pull one out of thin air, maybe her brother in law could as well. He hadn't raised his voice, thrown a punch or a kick, pulled a gun, or shoved him in front of a bus, all things that he would have expected. He hadn't looked forward to any of these, but they wouldn't have surprised him.

By all outward appearances, this was two friends going out for a drink together, and waiting for the other shoe to drop was driving Keitaro insane. 'Dammit, say something will you? I'm going to have a heart attack!'

Toshio then looked at him sharply, and for a second Keitaro wondered if he'd accidentally said that out loud. 'Or maybe he can read minds…'

"I have one question," began Toshio. He then chuckled softly, and this time the humor did reach his eyes. "Well, more than one," he clarified, "but this is the most important one. Whose fault was it?"

"Mine," Keitaro answered instantly.

Toshio raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

"If I hadn't met up with her, this wouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have drank, I should've taken her home…" Keitaro let out all the feelings he'd bottled up for months. It was almost a relief to be able to talk about it, even though he was confessing to the last person on the planet he would have expected. "If I'd been thinking more clearly, if I'd been stronger it wouldn't have happened."

Toshio didn't react at all to Keitaro's allocution, he simply remained calm, and continued to sip at his tea. After a moment, he set down his drink and broke his silence. "Interesting…"

Keitaro blinked, clearly confused by Toshio's apparent lack of reaction. "I-I beg your pardon?" he asked weakly.

"I asked Tsuruko the same question," Toshio continued, ignoring Keitaro's query. "Do you know what she said?" When Keitaro shook his head in response, Toshio continued. "She blamed herself, said that she didn't give you any choice in the matter. She said she took advantage of your kind nature, that she started it, and that it was all her fault."

"No! It wasn't her fault! If I had simply taken her home-" Keitaro shut up when Toshio raised his hand.

"I'm talking now," Toshio interrupted, a hint of warning in his eyes. "I would have expected the two of you to blame the other, but you both blame yourselves. I find that strange…" After a few minutes of agonizing silence, Toshio looked Keitaro straight in the eye. "I imagine you have some questions of your own, right?"

Keitaro was just able to force himself to nod.

Toshio smiled again, and his smile had a hint of warmth in it. "You're probably wondering how I found out. Well, it could have been the pregnancy…"

Keitaro felt his heart turn to granite in his chest. He had the sensation he was falling, and he believed that if he looked up, he would see the edge of the abyss rapidly receding upwards.

Toshio chuckled. "Relax, you didn't get THAT lucky, she isn't pregnant."

"Then, then why…?"

"I'm sorry, that was petty, but the look on your face was priceless. I figure I was entitled to that…" The thin smile was then replaced by a coldly serious look. "I found out for sure three weeks ago, when I confronted her. But I'd suspected it for some time."

"Three weeks ago…?" Keitaro asked numbly.

"Yes," Toshio replied calmly. "So why didn't I show up then? I'll get to that later. I think you're more interested in how I knew. Tsuruko was…different. I didn't really notice at first, but she was a little…off."

"Off?"

"Only way I could think of to describe it," Toshio admitted. "She was a little more affectionate, but at the same time there was a distance to her. Despite the feeling that we seemed to be closer, she never was really able to look me in the eye. I don't know if this makes any sense to you. I didn't really notice anything for about a month, and even then, I didn't have a clue that something had happened."

Despite his fear, Keitaro found himself listening to Toshio with rapt attention, his curiosity and concern over Tsuruko getting the better of him.

"It wasn't until a month later that I began to suspect something. You know what happened?" In an instant, Toshio's calm demeanor vanished. "She called out your name in her sleep." Toshio whispered coldly.

Keitaro blanched. 'My God, have I done the same?' Keitaro felt himself begin to tremble at this thought, as well as the fact that Toshio appeared to be having great difficulty maintaining his composure.

But at the back of his mind, despite the terror he was experiencing, Keitaro couldn't miss the feeling, although he wasn't sure what to call it, that briefly manifested itself upon learning that Tsuruko had been thinking of him, if only in her sleep.

With a visible effort, Toshio brought his expression to something approaching neutrality, but the memory of that look of loathing would haunt Keitaro's nightmares the rest of his life. 'Of course, 'rest of my life' might be shorter than I'd hoped…'

"Even then, I never thought it was possible," Toshio added. "I knew about you of course. Tsuruko had told me how you almost became my brother in-law. I figured that she was dreaming of that battle, she does that from time to time. But after two weeks, I realized that it wasn't that type of dream." Toshio's face had maintained its composure, but he was gripping the mug so hard his knuckles were white. "I didn't want to believe it. I figured it was all a stupid misunderstanding, so I asked her over dinner one night, more jokingly than anything else, who 'Keitaro' was. I suspected her to laugh it off, look at me like I was crazy, but when she couldn't look me in the eye…"

Toshio suddenly slumped, like a puppet with its strings cut. "I knew. I asked her point blank, but I already knew…" The fire had left Toshio as quickly as it had arrived, leaving him sounding burned out and beaten. "She told me what happened, and couldn't stop blaming herself." He then lifted his gaze and regarded Keitaro closely. "I suppose you're wondering why I haven't killed you yet…"

"Yeah…"

"I still might," Toshio stated thoughtfully. "Tsuruko asked me not to blame you or hurt you, but I might do that anyway. As for why I didn't come earlier, well, that's a longer story. Do you know how Tsuruko and I met?"

"Uh, no…" replied Keitaro, puzzled by the strange direction the conversation had taken.

A distant look came over Toshio's features as he began to speak. "It was years ago, I was walking through Kyoto, don't recall why, when I saw her across the street. She was a vision of loveliness, and I decided that I had to meet her. I followed her for a block or two, before I worked up the nerve to approach her, and ask if she would like to go have a drink with me. She looked at me for a moment or two, and without a word, drew her sword and took a swipe at me. This huge energy wave came roaring at me, and before I knew what had happened, the dumpster behind me fell into two pieces."

"Cutting Evil Technique: Second Form," interjected Keitaro without thinking.

Toshio raised an eyebrow. "You've seen it?"

"Once or twice…"

Toshio looked at Keitaro with a grudging respect. "So you know what she's capable of. Anyway, she then gave me a winning smile, and asked if I was still interested. After taking a few seconds to get my heart beating again, I told her I was. She seemed a little surprised, but she agreed to meet me for tea later that afternoon. We bid each other goodbye, and I went home to, well… change my clothes…"

Keitaro found himself nodding at that. When Motoko had practiced the technique on him, he'd damn near lost control of his plumbing.

"We met up later that afternoon, and I was the perfect gentleman," Toshio assured Keitaro. "Believe me, I wasn't going to piss her off. We seemed to hit it off, so we made plans to meet up the following week. Things were going well, and we kept making plans to meet each other again. It wasn't until the seventh date that we finally kissed. And even then, she made the first move, and afterwards she asked why I hadn't tried to kiss her earlier. I told her, quite truthfully, that I didn't want to upset her. She thought that was amusing, and she said that if she wasn't interested in me, she wouldn't have agreed to keep seeing me."

"We dated for about sixteen months, before I asked her to marry me. When she said 'yes', I felt like the luckiest guy alive. She loved me, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me!" Toshio then narrowed his eyes and glared daggers at Keitaro. "And then I found out she'd had an affair. Who cares if it was alcohol fueled and only one night, she betrayed me! I would have given her anything and she does this!" he hissed.

"You were wondering why I waited so long? Here's why…" Toshio took a few seconds to try to calm himself down before he proceeded. "I've always thought of myself as an honorable man. I've never done anything illegal or unethical, and I've tried to live a good life. I've never hit a woman. EVER. Well… I did have an older sister," Toshio admitted, "and we did fight from time to time, but I've never struck a woman with hurtful intent. I once decked a punk who slapped his girlfriend in front of me. Simply put, men who hurt women are scum, and deserve no mercy." Toshio's face was twisted in anger, and Keitaro could see he was serious.

Toshio then appeared to collapse in on himself. "Imagine my shame then, when I was forced to face the fact that I may have been more hurtful than that punk I floored. Tsuruko and I had our differences of course, but I've never thought of myself as a bad man. I've always tried to be there for her, be supportive, even when we had trouble having children. And now I find out that I have been crueler to her than if I'd struck her." Toshio shook his head sadly. "Hardly my proudest moment…"

He then returned his gaze to Keitaro. "That's why I waited. Tsuruko and I talked, and I listened to her, maybe for the first time in a long while, really. Having her tell me how cruel I've been, how cold, it really hurt. To hear the one you love say such horrible things about you, and to know that they're right…" Toshio sighed deeply, then continued. "Instead of rushing over to kill you, well, you might say I took a little time to try and find myself. I haven't liked what I've discovered. I hate what I've done, but I don't know if I can change."

Listening to Toshio talk about his own feelings was a strange experience for Keitaro. On the one hand, he was still afraid of what he might do in retaliation, but on the other hand, the misery and self-loathing in his voice gave him pause. Here was a man who had looked into the depths of his own soul and been disgusted by what he'd found. Keitaro found it to be surprisingly easy to relate to him at the moment. 'It's not like I'm proud of myself either…'

"I don't know what happens now," remarked Toshio. "I'm angry at Tsuruko, but I can't bring myself to blame her either. If I'd been a better husband, this probably would never had happened. I'm mad at you, but I promised Tsuruko that I wouldn't hurt you."

"Then, then why…?"

"Guess I wanted to put you through some misery as well," Toshio replied candidly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hit you, you're safe." He then gave Keitaro a thin smile, but for some reason, this smile frightened him more than anything else that had happened so far.

"What, what now?"

"I go home and see if I can make some changes in my life, and see if I can patch things up with Tsuruko. You, you get to go home unscathed."

"…All right…" despite Toshio's assurances, Keitaro's instincts were screaming that something was wrong, that this had been too easy. They kept screaming even as Toshio paid for their tea and gestured for him to follow. "Where are we going?"

"Back home. Don't worry, I vowed to Tsuruko that I wouldn't hurt you, and I keep my vows."

_Unlike her._ Keitaro was almost certain that Toshio had added that thought at the end of his sentence. With his self-preservation instincts still emphatically insisting that he make a break for it, Keitaro fell into step with Toshio as they walked back to Hinata House. He kept stealing discrete looks at Toshio, hoping that the hint of maliciousness in his smile was only his imagination.

The walk back was silent, and attempts to bid farewell to Toshio and go home alone kept dying on Keitaro's lips. He didn't want to have Toshio escort him home; if he'd had his way, he would have never met him, but he couldn't work up the nerve to brush him off. Besides, he had the feeling that Toshio would have politely, but firmly, rebuffed his attempts.

The two men ascended the stairs, more of the residence coming into view with every step. Clearing the top, Toshio leaned towards Keitaro, and threw his arm over his shoulder in a friendly fashion, like two life-long friends returning from catching up on old times. This struck Keitaro as completely bizarre, as well as disconcerting; after a couple more strides towards the door, Keitaro tried to shrug off the arm, but was shocked to discover that while Toshio's embrace might look comradely, it was as secure as an anacondas.

Openly struggling to escape Toshio's grip, which felt like a steel cable Keitaro noticed in a detached way, he was chilled when he happened to glance at Toshio's face. He was still smiling, but now his expression was full of wicked vinegar, his eyes flashing.

"I may have been incorrect Keitaro." Toshio's voice was still calm and collected, completely at odds with his expression. He continued walking up the porch, effortlessly dragging Keitaro along as if he was a recalcitrant child.

"What are you talking about?" Keitaro was now trying to dig in his heels and stop the procession into the residence, using his free hand to clutch at the porch, hoping that he'd be able to hold on. He was frightened now, desperate to avoid going inside with Toshio.

"I vowed I wouldn't hurt you, but that doesn't mean you're getting out of this unscathed," he rasped. A blink, and the menace was gone from his features, a genuinely warm smile in place as he dragged Keitaro inside, calling out, "We're back!"

"Toshio?" replied Motoko, as she came down the stairs.

"Ah, hello Motoko."

"What are you doing here?" A look of concern came over her face. "Is something wrong with my sister?"

"No, she's fine. I had business with Keitaro here."

"Who is this guy?" asked Naru as she entered the living room, followed by Shinobu. Toshio's announcement had drawn all of the residents.

"This is Toshio Aoyama, my sister's husband," replied Motoko.

"What would you want with Keitaro?" wondered Naru.

In a moment of horrifying clarity, Keitaro realized exactly what Toshio had planned, and that there was now nothing he could do to stop it. He also realized that if Toshio had simply beaten him, he would have been lucky.

"I just wanted to ask him if there was good reason for why he slept with my wife." Toshio spoke in a calm, reasonable manner, sounding more like he was discussing the weather than infidelity.

A sudden, awful, suffocating silence fell over the room. Keitaro felt the world start to spin, and he had the strange sensation that he was floating over the room, watching all that transpired.

"I, I beg your pardon?" Naru asked hesitantly, after a long moment.

"Why he slept with Tsuruko," Toshio repeated. "I found his answers to be…different than I expected." Toshio's smile widened, and he released Keitaro and took his numb hand in his own, shaking it twice. "It's been a pleasure meeting you Keitaro. If you'll excuse me…" he nodded his head to the other residents, offered Motoko a more formal farewell, and walked out the door, leaving Keitaro to his fate.

Back in the living room, the scene resembled a still-life painting, as nobody had moved since Toshio had casually dropped his bombshell. Keitaro felt sickened, and he wondered if he was going to faint, as his worst nightmare had just become horrifying reality. 'Please, somebody wake me up, tell me this is only a dream…'

The tense silence was predictably broken by Naru, but it was in the most unexpected way: laughter. Laughing lightly, she shook her head in wonderment. "Yeah, right… Motoko, you gotta tell your brother in-law to fire his gag writer. God, your sister and Keitaro?" Her laughter grew in strength, now joined by some of the other residents.

"I agree," replied Motoko. "As if my sister would have anything to do with Urashima. Even he wouldn't do anything that foolish…"

The universe, it seemed to Keitaro, had a flair for irony. The two women who had constantly accused him of being lecherous were now coming to his defense. For a moment, he even considered playing along with their reasoning, and acting like it was all a joke. But in his heart, he knew it wouldn't work, especially since Naru had gotten a good look at his face.

Naru turned back to Keitaro, chuckling to herself at the absurdity of Toshio's accusation. She was going to comment further, but the words died in her throat at the look on Keitaro's face. He wasn't stammering, or flailing his arms wildly as he shouted denials. He was just standing there ashen, looking the way a condemned man might look under the hood at the moment the trapdoor was pulled.

The others heard her laughter die away, and they all noticed the same look on Keitaro. An even more ominous silence fell over the room, as the possibility that this wasn't some twisted joke raised its head.

"No…no, he couldn't have been serious, right?" declared Naru. She still had a disbelieving look, but it was now the same type as a man in the path of an oncoming train.

"I cannot believe that my sister would betray her husband," added Motoko. However, the ember of suspicion had grown into an open flame; currently small, but with the potential to turn into a firestorm. 'Ridiculous,' the logical part of her mind scoffed. 'He would never do anything that rash, and my sister with HIM? Impossible…' Yet she could feel the fire of suspicion growing inside her. She quietly slipped out of the room, determined to get to the bottom of this.

Keitaro barely registered Motoko's departure, as he felt his world crashing down around him. The looks of dawning realization Naru and Shinobu were wearing, together with Kitsune's open disbelief, was a clear signal that the residents were starting to realize that this wasn't a joke. 'What happens now?' he wondered. 'Maybe it isn't so bad, after all, I'm not really involved with anyone here…' The last thought was desperate enough that it almost made him laugh. He looked at his study partner and possible romantic interest, her pretty features marred by open disbelief and hints of sadness. Naru was the most beautiful when she smiled, but Keitaro was doubtful that she'd ever smile at him again. 'Naru, I'm sorry…'

"YOU WHAT?"

Keitaro quailed at the power of Motoko's shriek from the kitchen. 'Christ, I FELT that! She must have called Tsuruko… No point in denying it now…'

Moments later, Motoko reappeared in the doorway, the murderous look in her eyes causing Keitaro to unconsciously take a step back in fear. When Motoko was calm, she was as lovely as a china doll, but rage did nothing for her looks. Throughout the time he'd served as the landlord at Hinata House, Keitaro had had many chances to see Motoko enraged, usually caused by, or directed towards, himself. He'd seen her mad, angry, and pissed off, but never before had he seen her like this, white faced and shaking with fury. Her hand kept touching the hilt of her sword, before it was reluctantly pulled away.

"You bastard…" Motoko hissed. She'd called Keitaro that before, but this time her insult was laced with pure, unfiltered hatred. "You worthless, honorless, opportunistic, son of a whore… Getting my sister drunk, and then taking advantage of her…"

"You're kidding, right?" a goggling Kitsune asked. "This is Keitaro we're talking about."

"I called my sister," Motoko seethed. "She told me what happened that night, how the two of you met up and ended up in a love hotel." She stalked towards Keitaro, death in her eyes.

Keitaro didn't even consider running or trying to defend himself; there wouldn't be any point. 'Will she cut off my head or… something else…?' He flinched inwardly, not sure which would be worse.

Reaching Keitaro, Motoko stood so her face was less than an inch from his. He could clearly feel her ragged breathing, coming from between tightly clenched teeth, against his face. The killing glare in her eyes frightening him, causing him to tremble where he stood. "My sister blames herself for this, but I do not," stated Motoko, visibly quivering with rage. "She also directed that I not harm you. You have no idea how much I wish to disobey her, but I swore I wouldn't. I will not sully my blade with your blood." She then gave him her fiercest look she'd ever used, perhaps hoping to frighten him to death.

She'd never realize how close she'd come to succeeding. Keitaro would swear that his heart actually exploded inside his chest, before Motoko abruptly turned her back on him, both literally and figuratively, and strode out of the room, without so much as a glance back.

'Tsuruko told her not to kill me? Why?' Keitaro considered this for less than a second, as his eyes fell upon the one person he wanted to see the most, as well as the least. Naru was standing there, seemingly shell-shocked, looking like she was on the verge of either exploding with fury, or bursting into tears, or both. Her jaw was set, but Keitaro was certain he saw tears forming in her eyes. "Naru…" he began weakly.

"I hate you."

There was none of the usual fire in those words, they were spoken in a normal volume and tone, but they cut Keitaro deeper than even Motoko's sword could have. It was the calmness that hurt most; there was no apparent anger forcing out words that would later be regretted, it was a simple declaration of fact. He was used to being yelled at, or struck, but he'd never been assaulted physically in a way that was as painful as those three words. In that moment, and with the finality of a coffin being nailed shut, Keitaro knew that he'd lost Naru, and that he would never be able to redeem himself to her.

That thought was almost as painful as her declaration…

Without another word, Naru turned and headed up the stairs, followed closely by a babbling Kitsune, who was concerned about her friend. Naru's mind was a whirlwind of emotions; rage and sadness were struggling for dominance, with feelings of betrayal coming in a strong third. She hardly registered what Kitsune was saying as she made her way to her room, feeling like a passenger in her own body. Naru did know that she'd been truthful when she'd spoken to Keitaro. When she'd realized that Toshio's accusation was true, after a brief period of stunned inaction, she'd asked herself what she felt, and at that moment, she realized that she hated Keitaro.

She had felt herself getting closer to him with time, accepting all of his idiosyncrasies, only to find out that he hadn't valued her enough to be true to her. A small section of her mind was asking her why he should have waited for her if she wasn't actively pursuing him, but she slammed the door on those errant thoughts.

Feeling numb from the eyes down, and her thoughts reeling, Naru was only dimly aware that she had sank down to the floor of her room, and let herself fall into Kitsune's comforting embrace. Silently, she opened the dam on her tears, the warm liquid leaving a damp spot on her friends shirt.

Back in the living room, Keitaro slumped against the wall, his legs having buckled after Naru had walked out on him, in all senses of the word. Her words echoed in his mind, tormenting him, reminding him of what he'd done and what he'd lost. 'Who I lost,' he corrected. 'She-she's gone… I'll… I'll never be able to be with her, let her know what she means to me…' He blinked, his eyes stinging with tears that were ready to fall.

He reasoned that he should be angry with Toshio for doing this, but he realized that this was probably similar to what Toshio felt when he'd learned of Tsuruko's transgression. 'If he felt half as miserable as I do, I can't really blame him… Just returning the favor…'

Keitaro was vaguely aware of two people standing over him. He lifted his head a little and saw that Su and Shinobu were looking at him. Su had crouched down and was regarding him with a curious look on her face, while Shinobu also looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Hey Shinobu, what's the big deal? I slept with Keitaro and Naru that one time, and I sleep with Motoko."

Su's innocent question almost made Shinobu laugh. Almost. "It-it's complicated Su," she replied, her voice thick with emotion. "Let's leave everyone alone, okay? Maybe they'll feel better later." 'But I doubt it,' Shinobu added silently.

"Okies. Want some bananas Shinobu?"

The blue haired girl forced herself to smile. "Sure."

"Great! There's a fresh crop in my room!" Before Shinobu had a chance to object, Su grabbed her by the wrist and bodily pulled her up the stairs, leaving only a dust cloud in her wake.

Now alone in the living room, the wall the only thing keeping him from slumping bonelessly to the floor, Keitaro contemplated the smoking ruin his life had just become. 'No,' he amended, 'it was ruined the second I started kissing Tsuruko back. I've just been delaying the inevitable…' Part of him wanted to place the blame elsewhere; Tsuruko, alcohol, the rain, the fact that the residents had upset him to the point of needing to take a walk. But in the end, Keitaro knew, deep in his heart and soul, that he was the architect of his own downfall. 'It's my fault. No matter how much I wish it wasn't, it's my own fault.'

Keitaro couldn't bring himself to move from his current location, despite how uncomfortable it was, so he stayed motionless, his tears silently streaming down his cheeks. Although it wasn't even four in the afternoon, it wasn't until well after midnight that Keitaro finally rose and walked on numbed legs to his room, only to instantly collapse on his futon, asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.

XXX

"So why didn't you tell me what happened?" asked Haruka.

Haruka and Keitaro were both sitting in the Café Hinata; three days had passed since Keitaro's one night stand with Tsuruko had become common knowledge. Keitaro had gone into self-imposed isolation, actively avoiding all of the residents, who in turn were avoiding him. He spent most of his time in his room, even taking his meals there, and doing maintenance around the residence that would take him into its most remote areas.

His diet now consisted almost exclusively of instant ramen and snack food, supplemented by what leftovers he could take from the refrigerator late at night. Su's appetite sometimes resulted in this being slim pickings. Once, when he came back to his room, he had found a tray inside his door, obviously from Shinobu. He was grateful, and extremely touched, but he couldn't thank the little chef publicly, for fear of alienating her from the others, who were avoiding him like the plague.

"Didn't know how you'd react," Keitaro confessed. "I was worried that someone would overhear…"

"So you just kept it a secret, but everyone found out anyway," finished Haruka, savagely crushing out her cigarette before lighting up another. Haruka's legendary unflappability was being put to it's greatest test. When Keitaro had entered the shop this afternoon, she'd had no idea what had been going on in Hinata House, but things hadn't felt right to her. She'd asked him what was happening, and found herself struck dumb as he'd confessed to his transgression with Tsuruko, and how the truth had come out.

Struck speechless, Haruka digested that information for a couple of moments before she'd been able to think of a response. 'Keitaro and a married woman, who woulda thought it.' She shook her head ruefully. 'You've always been a lightening rod for trouble, but this…' "What did you think I'd do?" Haruka asked her nephew.

"I, I don't know," admitted Keitaro. "Maybe tell someone, be angry with me, I just didn't know…"

Haruka's eyebrows went up a little. "You honestly thought I'd tell the others?" she asked calmly, but with a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"Yes! I mean no! I mean… I, I, I couldn't take a chance!" Keitaro babbled.

Haruka swallowed her righteous indignation at the sound of imminent panic in Keitaro. 'It's not like he wasn't under some strain,' she reasoned. 'Who knows what he was thinking?' "You still should have trusted me," she gently rebuked.

"I know…" Keitaro had his head in his hands, staring morosely at the table top.

After a minutes more contemplation, Haruka asked, "What happens now?"

"I don't know," Keitaro replied honestly. "You're the only person I've spoken to since it came out."

"But that was three days ago," Haruka pointed out.

"I know. No one's talked to me since then. And to be honest, I haven't wanted to talk to anyone either. I mean, what could I say? 'Hey Naru, I'm sorry I slept with another woman, want to study together?' or maybe 'You look good today Motoko, I apologize for ruining your sisters marriage?'" Keitaro asked bitterly. "I screwed up, and now no one wants to deal with me."

"They can't all hate you, and you and Naru weren't actually a couple, were you?"

"Maybe we weren't," conceded Keitaro, "but I wanted us to be one. But apparently I didn't want it enough to wait for her," he added despondently. "She hates me, and Motoko wants to kill me. The only reason she doesn't is because Tsuruko asked her not to. But if I ever gave her the slightest excuse…" Keitaro found himself shuddering at that thought.

"What are you going to do?" Haruka asked softly.

"What can I do?" he replied after a minute. "I won't go home, and I couldn't leave anyway. I'm the owner and landlord of Hinata House. Grandma was clear on that point."

Haruka found that she had nothing she could say to that.

"Will they forgive me?" Keitaro murmured softly.

"What was that?" Haruka hadn't heard what Keitaro had mumbled.

"Will they ever forgive me?"

Haruka pursed her lips. Her eyes took on a distant look as she remembered the love triangle that had existed between Seta, Sarah's mother, and herself. "I don't know," she finally admitted. "Maybe, if they want to. Perhaps, with time, even Naru might forgive you. But I can't say one way or the other."

"Didn't think so…"

"Forgive me for being blunt, but why did you do it?"

"I don't know, it's not like I planned it…" At Haruka's doubting look, Keitaro found himself getting vehement.. "You're kidding… Do you really think I'd do something that stupid?" he asked incredulously. "With a married woman, no less? Jeez, I know it took me a few times to get into Tokyo University, but I'm not THAT dumb!" Keitaro closed his eyes and counted to ten to calm himself down. "I didn't want this at all! I just went away to clear my head…"

Haruka regarded her nephew closely for a minute, before she sat back and took a long drag on her cigarette. "You know, from anyone else I'd say they were lying. It never 'just happens'. But I don't think you could lie to me to save your life. Although, being drunk didn't help matters any…" she added.

"That's no excuse," Keitaro responded.

"Didn't say it was," Haruka pointed out. "But it sure didn't help."

"Yeah…"

"Yeah."

The two Urashimas sat silently, each idly sipping their tea, which had now gone cold. After a few minutes of silence, which while it wasn't excruciating, wasn't all that comfortable either, Keitaro spoke again. "Maybe…"

"Maybe what?" Haruka prompted, after a few seconds of silence.

"Maybe because it felt…nice…to be wanted, even if it wasn't right… Maybe I was lonelier than I thought, or because what Tsuruko said struck a chord."

"You felt sorry for her?"

"I don't think 'sorry' is the right word," replied Keitaro. "'Connection' maybe, or perhaps 'understanding'."

"I don't think that excuses infidelity," Haruka deadpanned.

Keitaro gave Haruka a look that screamed 'no shit!', but he kept his silence for a moment. "Maybe it was just two lonely people trying to find comfort in the other."

Haruka bit back the reply that sprang to her lips. There was enough truth in that statement, and she'd had that feeling herself on a few occasions, even if she wasn't about to admit it. She looked at Keitaro, remembering all that he'd said, and thinking back to her own experiences. 'Poor kid didn't have enough emotional experience to have something like this happen.'

'Then again, would I have done any better?' Haruka asked herself. She thought about it, and realized that she honestly wasn't sure.

"You screwed up Keitaro, but I can't say that you should have known better. Well, yes, you should have," clarified Haruka, "but you got tangled up in something you weren't expecting."

"What does that mean?"

"Take it as you want it. I can't judge you, only you can do that."

Keitaro contemplated her words. "Thanks Aunt Haruka…"

Out of consideration for his current emotional turmoil, Haruka didn't whap him with her harisen for calling her 'Aunt'. "If you need to talk some more, my door is always open…."

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll be coming back for a while."

"Why?"

Keitaro gave a weak smile. "Everyone's pissed at me, I don't want you to be guilty by association. Thanks for the tea." He finished his drink, stood up and walked out, leaving a concerned Haruka alone in her shop.

'You always did put others happiness ahead of your own, Keitaro,' Haruka silently mused. She finished her own tea and extinguished her cigarette with a sigh. "Good luck Keitaro," she told the empty shop. "I think you're going to need it."

Outside the shop, Keitaro was slowly walking up the stairs towards Hinata House, mentally planning out his avoidance strategy for the day. 'The roof needs some work, and since Motoko's done training, and Shinobu did laundry yesterday, I shouldn't be disturbed. After that, there's some pipes in the basement that need replacing That should be enough for today, but what about tomorrow?' he sighed. 'Looks like another day in my room, unless something else breaks.'

Keitaro reluctantly continued up the stairs, wondering how long he'd be forced to live like this, and wondering what, if anything, he could do to make things easier for everyone.

It would be some time before the idea would first come to him.

To Be Continued

Author's Notes: What? You were expecting an epic battle, or Keitaro in intensive care? Sorry to disappoint you…

But in the long run, I think what Toshio did was far more insidious, and was potentially more damaging than simple violence.

Once again, thanks to Random1377 for bitch-slapping any traces of crappy dialogue, clunky writing, and general suck, out of this chapter.


	4. Clearing Datum

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

C+C is welcome at hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Goddamn QuickEdit…

This story idea was inspired by SimmyC, who graciously allowed me to pick up the ball and run with it.

Thanks Man!

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

Manga continuity, after the "Burn-Up Blade" story line

Love Hina:

Ships in the Night

Chapter Four: Clearing Datum

Keitaro slowly completed the transition from slumber to wakefulness; nothing had caused him to stir, his body just decided that it was time to get up. He opened his eyes, blinking to clear away the early morning fog and sand, and looked at his clock. 8:38. Fortunately, it was a Saturday, and there had been no pressing need for him to wake up early. 'Well, it's not like the others would be in a hurry to deal with me anyway…'

Just over three weeks had passed since Valentine's Day. While he didn't think of it as the 'St. Valentine's Day Massacre', he'd read about that in his American history textbook, it had caused his loathing of the day to return with a vengeance. On that day, Toshio Aoyama had calmly, but effectively, thrown Keitaro's happy existence into a blast furnace. Keitaro didn't begrudge him his revenge though, as he'd done it to him first, the night he'd slept with Tsuruko.

It had been a lonely three weeks; he'd hardly talked to anyone since that day, and the residents were actively avoiding him, an action he reciprocated. The few times he did encounter a resident, he was unable to meet their gaze, and he kept his eyes downward. Naru and Motoko were the only ones openly hostile to him, shooting him icy stares and growling threats, while the others were merely distant.

Shinobu seemed to be the only exception; she hadn't talked to him, but on a few occasions, she had secretly placed a tray of food in his room, giving him a brief respite from the diet of cup ramen he had been living on. He hadn't been able to thank her properly, but he had nodded gratefully the one time he'd been in the same room as her without someone scrutinizing him.

The experience reminded Keitaro of the time just after he'd become the landlord; the residents had made a concerted effort to drive him off by working him to death and giving him nothing but cold shoulder. This time, Keitaro was the one who kept finding tasks to do, as the activity made time go faster and gave him something to focus on besides how miserable he was feeling. He'd even gone as far as to place a box outside his room for the residents to place maintenance requests so he'd have more things to do, and so that the residents wouldn't have to talk to him.

Not having anything pressing at the moment, and certain that the others were in no rush to see him, Keitaro rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. His eyes were automatically drawn to the hole in the ceiling. Or rather, they were drawn to where the hole in the ceiling had once been. The first task he'd found in his 'job box' was a note from Naru requesting, 'No, make that demanding,' he amended, that he fix the floor in her room immediately.

Keitaro had been expecting this, but expecting it hadn't made it any easier. Naru was effectively locking him out, putting as many barriers as she could between the two of them, both physical and psychological. He'd closed his eyes and crumpled the paper, knowing that he had nothing to say to defend himself. He continued to blame himself, even if Tsuruko apparently didn't. 'I'm guilty enough for the both of us,' he thought grimly. He'd picked up his toolkit and headed up the stairs, trudging slowly to Naru's room. "It's me Naru, I'm here to fix the floor," he called out when he knocked on the door. These had been the first words he'd spoken to her since Valentine's Day.

Without a word, the door opened and Naru gestured for him to come in with a quick jerk of her head. Keitaro slowly walked in, not surprised by Naru's actions. He was a little surprised to find Motoko waiting inside Naru's room as well. He was about to greet her out of habit, but the look of disgust and utter contempt she was giving him killed any thought of conversation.

Sighing to himself, Keitaro lifted up Naru's Liddo-kun doll, removed the plywood cover, and set about finally repairing the floor. As he started hammering out the broken boards, he felt himself thinking back to all that had occurred because of this hole. The times he'd accidentally peeped Naru, the one time she'd peeped him, although she'd still belted HIM for that. The times she'd just dropped in to say 'hi.' This hole held a lot of memories, some pleasant, some not so pleasant, and Keitaro finally realized just how significant it was to be sealing it.

He came out of his brief reverie and noticed that Naru and Motoko were watching him closely. In spite of all the tension between them, Keitaro couldn't stop himself from asking, "Why-why are you both here?" The attention was making him uncomfortable.

"The last time you tried to fix this, you ended up reading my diary," Naru answered coldly. "After what you did with Tsuruko, who knows what you'd try."

Keitaro bit back the retort that had sprung to his lips. She was right. He'd snooped the last time he'd tried fixing the floor. He'd only been curious about what she'd thought of him, but he should have known better. Besides, he didn't think that either Naru or Motoko were willing to accept any insolence from him, no matter how worthy it might have been. He simply resumed hammering out the rotten boards, hitting them with a little more force than necessary.

Once the boards were removed, Keitaro used a flashlight to examine the floor joists, ensuring that they were structurally sound before he began to install the new floorboards. There were no sounds other than the hammering of wood and Keitaro's breathing. Finally after about thirty minutes the job was done. Keitaro carefully placed his weight on the floor to test his work, and when he was satisfied that it would hold, he gathered up his tools and started to walk out of the room.

"One moment bastard…"

'Motoko…' thought Keitaro resignedly. 'Now what have I done? Other than continue to breathe, I mean?' "Yes…?" Later, Keitaro would wonder when he'd accepted the idea of responding to the insult as if it was actually his name.

"The light in my room needs changing. Get me a bulb so I can change it."

"Don't worry, I can do it-"

"You're not coming into MY room."

Another sigh. "Fine… Follow me, and I'll get it for you." He turned and walked out, not really caring if Motoko followed him or not. He idly noticed that she fell into step behind him.

"I cannot believe my sister would defend you," Motoko commented as they made their way downstairs. "The very idea that she would seek you company… She must have been disturbed by what you did."

Keitaro didn't reply to Motoko's venom, he simply withstood it. The idea of defending his actions never occurred to him; he was willing to accept all of the blame as a sort of penance. Besides, the notion of trying to shift some of the responsibility to Tsuruko would have felt like blaming the victim to him. There was also no telling how Motoko would react to him giving his side of the story. She'd promised Tsuruko not to harm him, but if he upset her…

"Aren't you going to give me an excuse?"

Motoko's question interrupted his ponderings. "No."

"Why not?"

'Because it's my fault. Even if it wasn't, I don't want to ruin your image of your sister,' Keitaro thought. "Would it make a difference?" he asked.

"No."

"There you go…" Keitaro walked to a storage closet, opened it and pulled out a light bulb and handed it to Motoko. "Bulbs are kept here. If you need one, take one." He then turned around and walked back to his room, its lonely isolation preferable to the hostility he experienced dealing with the residents.

Finishing his recollection, Keitaro closed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath. He'd continued to sequester himself away in his room unless absolutely necessary. 'Yeah, hiding away isn't the best way to deal with this,' he reasoned, 'but damned if I can think of anything else…'

He got up out of his futon, stretching and hearing his back pop and snap. The aroma of breakfast wafted into his nose, causing his mouth to water like one of Pavlov's dogs. Keitaro thought longingly of one of Shinobu's breakfasts, as he regarded his stash of cup ramen with distaste. He'd bought some fruit to supplement his vitamin intake, but after becoming used to Shinobu's cooking, going back to bachelor eats was itself a torment.

Since everyone else was eating, it would be safe for him to head to his bathroom and bathe. Gathering his bath supplies, Keitaro swiftly but carefully made his way to the little bathroom, looking around to ensure he didn't unexpectedly run into a resident who was late for breakfast.

Once in the bathroom, he let out a relieved sigh and began his morning cleansing, idly wondering what he'd be doing today if nothing came up. 'Go into town perhaps? Catch a movie?' Keitaro had spent as much time as possible away from the residence, when he wasn't secluded in his room, all the better to avoid interacting with the others. He rinsed himself off and slipped into the tub, letting the hot water relax him, as his thoughts returned to the previous three weeks. 'It hasn't been all bad,' he mused silently. 'The nightmares have stopped…'

Keitaro's sleep was no longer haunted by fears of being discovered. 'Why should it? I've already been found out.' Keitaro slumped back into the tub, staring at the ceiling. 'I still dream about Tsuruko though… Why hasn't that stopped?' No answers were forthcoming, not that he had expected them, so he continued his soak.

Twenty minutes later, clean, dry, and dressed, Keitaro made his way back to his room, checking his job box and discovering a new request:

'_There's a fallen tree in the backyard. Deal with it.'_

Keitaro blinked. 'Fallen tree? Is this a joke?' Curious, he made his way outside and walked to the back of the residence. 'Well I'll be damned, there is a fallen tree… When did this happen?' The tree had stood about twenty-five feet tall, before something had knocked it over, the wind, old age, or whatever. It had fallen into the clearing, and while it wasn't a hazard, it was an eyesore. 'We won't be short on firewood for a while.' Keitaro pursed his lips. While he'd hoped for something to do, this was little more than he'd bargained for. He could do it, but it wasn't his best skill. Motoko could clear-cut an acre of redwood in a half hour, but this was going to take him all day.

Keitaro went back inside to change into some work clothes, and to retrieve a bow saw and an axe. Once outside, Keitaro took a moment to examine the tree; it had broken off at about three feet from the ground, and had detached cleanly. He first cut down the remnant of the trunk with the bow saw, leaving a stump about three inches high. Once this was done, he began breaking off or cutting off the branches on the main body of the tree. The novelty of the job wore off quickly when he realized that the task was going to be as difficult and tedious as he'd expected. The wood was hard to cut, and was full of sap, sticking to his hands and gumming up the saw.

'This is gonna take forever… Well, I was hoping for something to do wasn't I?' Keitaro shook his head ruefully, learning once again to be careful what he wished for.

It took over two hours to deal with all the branches, cutting them up into small enough pieces to be burned. Any pieces that were small enough he broke by hand, in spite of the risk of splinters, because it allowed him to work off some of his frustration at the job at hand.

Through it all, the sun continued its eternal march across the sky, paying Keitaro no more attention than it did any other life form on the planet. Despite the slight chill in the air, Keitaro was sweating heavily, and as he finally turned his attention to the main trunk of the tree, with a sinking feeling he realized that the hard part hadn't even begun.

Cutting the trunk into manageable sized pieces for splitting was an arduous, frustrating task, made even worse by the fact that Keitaro hadn't thought to get a couple of saw horses to hold the trunk at a reasonable height. The wood was even more difficult to cut now, as if it realized what was happening to it and was putting up as much resistance as it could. The saw kept binding, the sap making the blade sticky, and there were times it took everything Keitaro had to get the damned thing loose. 'If I have to do this again, I'm getting a damn chainsaw!' he vowed.

At this thought, a random image of the residents panicked reaction to the sight of him with a chainsaw, thinking that he'd finally snapped, entered his mind. This struck him as so funny, he laughed out loud for a few minutes, the first real laugh he'd had in a while.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, getting sap over his face in the process, Keitaro picked the saw back up and went back to his work, thankful that he'd started sawing at the thick end, so it should get easier as he went along. Finally, after ninety minutes of backbreaking work, the trunk was sectioned. He looked over the fruits of his labor with some satisfaction, trying to avoid thinking about how difficult it was going to be to split some of those pieces. He spent another hour gathering up all of the pieces that were small enough to not need splitting and put them into the pile, his back and shoulders grateful for the change in activity, if not rest.

Once all of the pieces were gathered up, and he'd raked up as much of the sawdust as he could, Keitaro reluctantly regarded the leftover pieces of the sectioned trunk, sitting there like unwanted guests at a party. Knowing that staring at them wasn't going to make them disappear, Keitaro went to the largest one, upended it, took the axe in his hands, raised it over his head, and swung it down as hard as he could.

THUNK!

The axe buried itself into the wood… exactly half an inch. Taken aback, Keitaro tried to pull the axe out, but the log lifted up with the axe head, stuck firm. He stared at it uncomprehendingly for a second, before he tried shaking it loose. Not happening. "Dammit!" he cursed, banging the log on the ground, trying unsuccessfully to knock it loose.

Some days it didn't pay to get out of bed.

XXX

Unbeknownst to Keitaro, he was being watched while he worked. From the annex rooftop, a pair of olive green eyes dispassionately took in his actions. "What's wrong bastard?" Motoko murmured softly. "Having trouble handling something that isn't intoxicated?" Keitaro was having a hell of a time splitting the wood.

At this point, another part of her psyche, one that had become more outspoken and insistent over the past few weeks, made its presence known. 'He isn't that strong is he? So how did he overpower Tsuruko?'

Motoko's eyes narrowed. 'She-she was drunk! She couldn't fight him off!'

'Are we talking about the same Tsuruko?' her psyche asked. 'The Tsuruko who once defeated you when she was delirious with a fever of 103?'

'That was different…'

'Was it? Or maybe he DIDN'T force himself. She said he didn't, why don't you believe her?'

'She-she couldn't have, Tsuruko doesn't make mistakes like that…' These weren't new thoughts for Motoko, but she was finding it harder to rebut them based on what she knew.

'Maybe you just don't want to admit that she's only human,' her mind casually suggested.

'She isn't!' Motoko insisted. 'She's never made a mistake in her life, there's no way she would have had anything to do with Urash- the bastard…'

'You honestly believe he'd force himself on anyone, let alone Tsuruko?'

'Yes!' Motoko replied with some desperation. 'She-she would never do anything to betray her husband, it isn't honorable…' Deep down, Motoko knew that her arguments were tenuous at best. But she'd spent her entire life looking up to Tsuruko. It was easier to demonize Keitaro than face the possibility that her sister actually possessed human flaws.

She continued to observe Keitaro as her internal debate raged. What had been easy to believe at first was now plagued by doubt and uncertainty. Perhaps her anger was misdirected, or even unwarranted, but it was easier to be angry than face an unwelcome truth. Her frown deepened as she found validation on one point. 'However it happened, he shouldn't have slept with Tsuruko…'

"He's still at it?"

With a start, Motoko belatedly realized that Kitsune had joined her on the roof, unnoticed only because of the turmoil in her thought. "He can't handle a blade. Doesn't matter if it's a sword or an axe, he can't figure it out."

Kitsune hmmed noncommittally, as she watched Keitaro try unsuccessfully to split a smaller log. From this distance, she was barely able to hear him cursing violently as he struggled to free the axe from its wooden prison. "You've been keeping busy lately, haven't you Keitaro," she murmured under her breath. Kitsune then shifted her gaze to Motoko, looking at her closely before speaking. "You can't really believe he forced himself on your sister, can you?"

Motoko blinked, surprised that Kitsune's thoughts were so similar to her own. 'Then again, I haven't talked about much else when it comes to the bastard,' she reasoned. "However it happened, he shouldn't have done anything with Tsuruko."

"Perhaps…" Kitsune admitted. "But if your sister wasn't interested in him, I doubt he could have forced her." She gestured with her head to where Keitaro was now standing on the log and desperately trying to yank out the axe.

"She was drunk…"

"I'VE never been that drunk Motoko," replied Kitsune. "Even if she was, I'm sure she woulda kicked his ass."

Despite the fact she'd been close to reaching the same conclusion, Motoko couldn't bring herself to agree with Kitsune. "We don't know that, I mean…"

Kitsune shook her head ruefully. Things had gone to hell three weeks ago, and no one seemed to be willing to try and climb out. "What did your sister say?"

Motoko's jaw set, not liking the direction the conversation was taking. "She blames herself," she reluctantly admitted.

"Why?"

"Because she's probably ashamed!" Motoko snapped crossly. She knew it wasn't that simple, but the alternative was too disconcerting to think about.

"So talk to Keitaro."

"You think he'd be honest?"

"Yeah… I do."

"I don't want to talk to him," Motoko replied after nearly a minute of silence. "No matter how it happened, he slept with my sister. He had to know that was wrong." She turned and walked away, effectively killing the conversation.

Kitsune grimaced. "Just like I figured," she grumbled. "No one's talked to anyone recently." She took a thoughtful sip from her cup of sake, noticing that Keitaro had finally freed the axe. "It's time to change that…"

XXX

A couple of days later, Naru was in her room going over her school work when she heard a familiar voice calling to her.

"Naru…"

"What is it Kitsune, I'm kinda busy and-" Naru looked up and broke off after getting a look at her friend's face. She pursed her lips. "I know that look Kitsune, what are you doing?"

"Moi?" Kitsune asked innocently, gesturing to herself.

"Vous," replied Naru, not buying the innocent act for a second.

"I just want to talk, that's all…"

"About what?"

"…Keitaro…" the fox eyed girl replied quietly. She actually felt the room getting colder when Naru's eyes narrowed in response.

"No."

"Naru, I know you're upset, but-"

"Upset? UPSET? I'm miles beyond upset…"

"I know, I know… But what if we've been wrong about him?" Kitsune deliberately used 'we' so as to not further antagonize her friend.

"He got Tsuruko drunk and slept with her. What are 'WE' getting wrong?"

Kitsune flinched at Naru's rebuke. Taking a deep breath to regain her focus, she pressed on. "You really think Keitaro could have forced himself on TSURUKO of all people? You know, Motoko's big sister, the one who handed Motoko her ass the first time she came here."

"I don't care if they were drunk or sober…"

"Huh?" Kitsune's mental train jumped off its rails at Naru's candid admission.

"I haven't been mad at him because I thought he took advantage of Tsuruko," Naru clarified. "Keitaro has his faults, but I don't think he'd do something like that." Naru thought back to what she'd seen of Tsuruko's abilities in Kyoto. "Keitaro couldn't have gotten the upper hand on her unless she was in a coma. Even then, it wouldn't have been easy."

"Then why the hell are you so hostile to him?" Kitsune demanded.

"Because he hurt me!" snarled Naru through tightly clenched teeth. Her nostrils were flared, and she had snapped the pencil she'd been using in two. But after her outburst, she seemed to deflate. She let out a tremulous breath that almost sounded like a sob. Kitsune noticed that there seemed to be some new lines around her eyes, and in spite of her display of anger, she looked like she was exhausted.

"Hurt you…?" Kitsune asked tentatively.

"We were supposed to be together," Naru replied softly, her tone subdued after her previous outburst. "We both cared for each other, but apparently I didn't mean enough to him for him to be faithful." Naru's brow furrowed and Kitsune noticed that her jaw muscles were jumping. "Tsuruko spread her legs for him and he forgot all about me," Naru finished bitterly.

Kitsune was taken aback at the smoldering hostility in Naru's words. "I-I don't think it was that simple…"

"You're probably right," allowed Naru. "But however it happened, Keitaro had sex with her. All the time we knew each other, worked together, tried to help each other, none of that mattered. Tsuruko threw herself at him and he didn't say no." Naru had none of her usual energy, sounding completely weary and beaten. "Why couldn't he have waited for me?"

"Why don't you ask him?"

Naru didn't reply for a few minutes, and when she did, her reply was unintelligible to Kitsune.

"What was that Naru?"

"I-I don't know if I want to know…"

"Why?"

Naru gave her friend a pained look. "I haven't treated Keitaro very well, have I?"

'How do I answer that tactfully?' Kitsune wondered. "Um… no?" She winced the second she heard her reply. 'Smooth. Really smooth Kitsune,' she admonished herself.

Naru slumped. "You're right. I just drove him away…"

"It isn't that easy, and you know it," insisted Kitsune. "Why don't you just talk to him?"

"It isn't that easy, and you know it," parroted Naru. "How do you talk about something like this? Where would I start? 'Hey Keitaro, why'd you fuck Tsuruko?'" Naru shook her head in disgust.

"A little discretion wouldn't kill you…"

"After what Keitaro did, you're accusing ME of 'indiscretion'?" Naru asked incredulously.

"No, I'm trying to work things out."

Silence reigned in Naru's room for a few minutes, before it was finally broken by Naru. "I know… It's horrible right now, but, I don't know if I can bring myself to talk to him, much less forgive him."

"He's hurting too," Kitsune replied softly.

"Good," Naru answered automatically. She then sighed and closed her eyes. "Don't say anything Kitsune, I know that was cold. But part of me wants to work things through, and part of me wants to feed him to piranhas."

"So what are you gonna go with?"

Naru gave Kitsune a paper thin smile. "We don't have any piranhas…"

'It's a start,' Kitsune told herself. "When?"

"No idea," confessed Naru. "This isn't something I can rush into…"

"I wouldn't wait too long," warned Kitsune.

"When's 'too long'?"

Kitsune gave a thin smile of her own. "You never know until it passes."

"I can't make any promises."

"I know. But make an effort, okay?"

"I'll try…"

Realizing that this was the best she was going to get, Kitsune excused herself. When she reached the door, she glanced back and saw Naru deep in contemplation. 'Don't think about it too long Naru,' she cautioned silently. 'Who knows what's going to happen next?"

XXX

-KNOCK-KNOCK-

Keitaro opened his eyes, unsure if he'd imagined what he thought he'd heard.

-KNOCK-KNOCK-

'I heard that,' he realized. He stared at the door in wonderment. He hadn't had a visitor since… since. That had been nearly six weeks ago.

-KNOCK-KNOCK-

The knocking was a little more forceful this time, and it seemed that whoever it was, they were getting impatient. 'Answer it dumb-ass,' he told himself. Keitaro got up off the futon and padded to his door, trying to suppress the butterflies as he faced the prospect of someone wanting to talk to him. He opened the door and found himself face to face with-

"K-Kitsune?"

"Yes, that's me…" She couldn't help but notice his slightly crestfallen look.

"What do you need?" Keitaro asked, all business again.

"To talk. Can I come in?"

Keitaro blinked at that. He took a moment to take a discrete look down the hall before gesturing for her to come in.

"You used to be more of a gentleman," Kitsune teased wryly. "All this time alone has ruined your manners."

Keitaro felt a frown come over his features. "What's this about?" he asked tersely.

Seeing just how unamused he was with teasing at the moment, Kitsune decided to cut to the chase. "I just want to talk to you that's all."

"Really… Why?"

"Why do you think?"

"You really want me to answer that?"

'I'm doing this for everyone.' Kitsune told herself that a few times as she tried to maintain her composure. If she lost her temper, it would only make things worse. Since Naru still hadn't gotten around to talking with Keitaro, it was on her shoulders now. "Look… Let's start over. No one's really talked to you about this, and I want to hear your side of it."

"Why today?"

"Because everyone else is out," Kitsune replied honestly.

"I appreciate your honesty," Keitaro answered. "But if you want to hear my side, talk to Haruka."

"You talked with her?" When Keitaro nodded, Kitsune asked, "Why?"

"Lack of alternatives. It was already out, and I had to talk with someone, even if it was only once."

"Yeah, well, I'd rather hear it from you. What happened while you were gone that night?"

Keitaro was mentally debating whether or not to discuss it with Kitsune, but since she'd asked… "I'll tell you, but I don't think you'll like it," he warned.

"I haven't liked what I've heard so far."

"Then why-"

"I want to hear everything before I form my opinion."

"Fair enough." Keitaro then proceeded to detail all that had happened from the moment he walked out to the moment he returned. His narrative was exhaustive, but it seemed to Kitsune that he was painting himself in the worst possible light. She was expecting some self-depreciation, but the amount of self-loathing he manifested was staggering to her.

"Is that really what happened?" Kitsune asked when he'd finished.

"Yeah…"

"I'm not sure I believe you…"

"Why?"

Instead of answering, Kitsune stood up and walked over to Keitaro, and without warning grabbed him by the wrists.

"Hey! What are you-"

Ignoring his protests, Kitsune twisted his arms so that they were behind his back. Keitaro struggled for a little, but gave up when it was obvious that he wasn't going to be able to escape her clutches.

"Lemme go!"

"Make me…"

"I-I can't!"

"You can't?"

"No!"

Kitsune let go of his wrists. "And Naru and Motoko say you forced yourself on Tsuruko…" She shook her head in amazement. "What are they thinking?" she murmured softly.

"There, there was alcohol involved," Keitaro reminded her.

"I don't think you could have forced her, even if she was drunk," Kitsune scoffed. "Why are you taking all the blame?"

"It-it's my fault…"

"Only partially. Yeah, you should have known better, but unless it was with your right hand, someone else has to be there," Kitsune pointed out. "Why are you taking all the blame?"

Keitaro sat back down and stared at the floor. "Don't I always?" he asked with an air of resignation. "I'd be blamed anyway, and it's not like I'm innocent in this. It's more my fault than Tsuruko's, and I'd rather people think I was a bastard than blame her."

"You should still stand up for yourself…"

"No. I deserve to take responsibility for this, I won't try to blame anyone else for what happened."

Kitsune just looked at Keitaro, trying to wrap her head around all that he'd said. 'Taking responsibility when you don't have to? You're a more complex guy than I thought.' Trying to move the conversation to something that she'd have a better time understanding, Kitsune asked the question that everyone in the residence had thought about at least once. "Why did you do it?"

Keitaro sighed. He wasn't surprised by the question, only that it had taken Kitsune so long to ask it. "I-I'm still not really sure," he admitted. "But when it happened, at that moment, under those circumstances, I-I didn't want it to end." He looked up at Kitsune. "This sounds pathetic, but it was nice to be wanted. That night, it was like a drowning man being thrown a life preserver. I just held on and wouldn't let go…"

Kitsune digested his words for a few minutes, and the silence in the room was deafening. Finally, she gave her response. "You screwed up Keitaro, sleeping with a married woman like that."

"I know…"

"But, I don't think you deserve what you've been going through either. Not everything anyway. It was as much Tsuruko's fault as yours, even if you won't accept it."

"So what now?"

"I should be asking you that. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, stay here I guess."

"You think you can stay sane here? I know not everyone is against you, but still..." Kitsune gestured to the empty food tray by the side of the door. There was no need to ask Keitaro who had brought it.

"We'll see…"

Kitsune stood up to leave; there was nothing else she could do. At the door, she looked back at Keitaro and said, "Try to take care of yourself Keitaro. I don't think it's going to get easier."

"Thanks Kitsune…"

"You're welcome." With that, she walked out and closed the door behind her.

Back inside, Keitaro continued to brood at the table, feeling a little bit better after his talk with Kitsune. But he was still a long way from being normal, and he was under no illusions of being able to clear things up with Naru and Motoko as easily. 'How do I keep sane here?' he wondered. 'What choice do I have? It's not like I can go anywhere…'

Keitaro remained motionless for some time, feeling sorry for himself, when an idea subtlety entered his thoughts. He jerked up in surprise when it became clear to him, and he started thinking about it. He weighed out some of its advantages and disadvantages for over two hours, so absorbed in his thoughts that he completely missed the sounds of the residents returning.

'Could it work?' he asked himself. 'Perhaps… It might make things easier for everyone…' He still hadn't come to a final decision, but there was something he could do in the interim. Keitaro reached for the phone and dialed the operator. "Hello? Directory assistance?"

XXX

"You're serious," stated Haruka. The only crack in her impassive façade was a raised eyebrow.

"Yes."

"You've thought about this?"

"Yes.

"But what about-"

"I've taken care of that Aunt Haruka."

Haruka's eyes narrowed at the term 'aunt.'

"…sorry Haruka. I don't like it either, but I think it's all I can do…"

Haruka mulled over what Keitaro had told her. "You may be right. Doesn't mean I like it, but you may be right."

"Thank you…"

"Don't thank me for this."

"I understand."

"When?"

"As soon as possible."

Haruka frowned at that. "Can I get a guess?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know. When I know, you'll know."

Haruka took a drag on her cigarette, blowing the smoke out of her nose. "So it's come to this…"

"Yeah…"

Haruka simply picked up her newspaper and resumed reading, giving Keitaro his cue to leave.

"Later." Keitaro walked out of the Café Hinata and headed back up the stairs to the residence. "It's for the best really," he told himself. "Just a matter of time…"

XXX

A little over a week later, the telephone rang. Motoko, being the closest, answered it. "Hello, Hinata House…" A scowl came over her face as she heard the person on the line inquire about the availability of the party she wished to speak with. "Unfortunately, he's here. One moment please. Bastard, it's for you." This was the first time she'd spoken to him in over a month.

Keitaro came into the room and took the phone, trying to ignore the withering glare Motoko gave him. "Yes? …Don't worry about that…yes, I did…yes, it was…certainly…how about now?…you decide…I know where that is…an hour? Perfect…See you then." Without another word, Keitaro hung up the phone.

Motoko, curious in spite of herself, had overheard Keitaro's half of the conversation. She was intrigued enough to ask him about it, even as she kept up a contemptuous front. "Another housewife?" The satisfaction she received from seeing him flinch wasn't as pronounced as it once was.

"No. But it was personal," Keitaro replied. He then turned his back on Motoko and walked to his room, killing time by making sure the preparations that he'd made in anticipation were complete. They were, and it had taken less time than he'd expected.

After thirty interminable minutes of waiting, Keitaro exited his room and headed for the front door, no one paying attention to his departure, save Motoko, who felt that his actions were unusual, especially in light of the call. However, she didn't feel a need to ask him where he was going or to follow him.

Keitaro walked briskly, more to burn off nervous energy than to hasten his arrival. When he arrived at the coffee shop, he grimaced at yet another reminder, but he forced himself to smile for the young woman who was waiting for him outside of it. "Reika Takayashi?" he asked.

"Yes, that's me. Are you Keitaro Urashima?"

"Yes."

The girl smiled brightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My friends thought that the ad must have been a joke…"

"It wasn't. Let's go inside and talk."

The two went inside and were seated, both of them ordering tea. While waiting for their orders, Keitaro took a look at the person seated across from him. Reika was about nineteen or twenty years old, with blonde hair cut into a pageboy, and brilliant emerald green eyes. She was extremely cute, at the very threshold of being gorgeous. Once the tea was served, Keitaro broke the ice. "You're interested in the position, correct?"

"Of course. Why's it available?"

A pained look came over Keitaro's features. "You heard what happened over the phone, right?"

"Yes…"

"That's why. I can't deal with things anymore, everyone's hurting, and change is the best way to end it."

"What happened?"

"I slept with the married older sister of a resident," Keitaro stated frankly. "She didn't take that very well, and neither did most of the others."

"I see…"

"This won't be easy," Keitaro warned the woman. "Are you willing to deal with being an outsider?"

"Yes."

"Strange occurrences, unusual behavior, and things that may make you question your sanity?"

"Like what?"

"You'll see," Keitaro replied cryptically. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Why are you so eager to do this?"

Reika blushed. "It's always been a dream of mine."

'To each their own,' Keitaro thought. "You're absolutely sure? Once you're in it's hard to get out. You'll have to sign on for at least a year."

"I'm ready," Reika emphasized.

'Hope you're right.' "When could you start?"

"How soon will you be ready?"

"Today?"

"I can be ready in an hour."

"So can I. Do you know where it is?"

"Yes."

"Then be there in ninety minutes."

"Just like that?" Reika asked. "Isn't this a bit rushed?"

"I'm looking for someone to start immediately. Can you?"

"Yes, but…"

"But…" Keitaro prompted.

Reika shook her head. "Never mind, I'll be there."

"See you later then." Keitaro bid his farewell and walked out of the shop. During the walk back to Hinata House, he contemplated what was likely to happen shortly. 'I don't really want to do this, but it's for the greater good,' he reminded himself. 'Never thought it would come to this…'

Keitaro reached the residence and retreated to the sanctuary of his room, giving Haruka the quick 'heads-up' call that he'd promised. She didn't sound too thrilled about it, and he could almost hear her disapproving look over the phone.

He then gave his room a thorough going over to ensure that he hadn't missed anything. When that was finished, he paced around nervously, the prospect of what he was planning becoming more daunting in his mind. The ninety minutes crawled by, an eternity, with six months tacked on for good measure. Finally, he saw Reika walking towards the front door through his window.

'It's time…'

Keitaro made his way to the front door, timing his trip so he arrived at the exact moment the doorbell rang. He opened the door and found Reika standing there, an excited look on her face, and a backpack slung over her shoulder. "Is that all you need?" he asked in curiosity.

"Just for the first week, I'll have the rest delivered later," she replied.

Keitaro nodded at that and gestured for her to follow him. 'Let's do this,' he thought without enthusiasm. He led Reika into the kitchen where the residents were eating. Everyone ceased dining and looked over at him, his presence in the kitchen being a bigger surprise than the short blonde standing behind him.

"Good evening all of you, I'll make this short. This is Reika Takayashi…"

"You sleep with her too?" interrupted Naru. "When's her husband going to show up?"

"No, nothing like that. Effective immediately, she'll be taking over my duties at Hinata House."

Keitaro's casual announcement hung in the air like smoke, causing more than one resident to drop their chopsticks in shock. "Would-would you mind repeating that?" Kitsune asked hesitantly.

"She's taking over my job," Keitaro repeated. "I'm leaving. It-it's too hard for everyone if I stay here." He turned to Reika and gave her the book that held the profiles of all of the residents, with some of the notes he'd added. "They're yours now. Please take care of them for me." Keitaro turned his gaze back to the stunned residents. "I-I have enjoyed my time with you all, but with all that's happened, I feel it would be better if I were to leave. For everyone I've hurt, I'm sorry." Keitaro then bowed formally and turned to walk away.

"Sempai! Wait, you, you can't leave…" cried Shinobu.

"Yeah, aren't you supposed to be the owner and landlord here?" added Kitsune.

"I still am. Reika is the new caretaker." Keitaro took in a shuddering breath. "Good-goodbye all of you. I'm sorry I've caused you all so much trouble." He then walked out, leaving the residents and the new caretaker in the kitchen to try to come to terms with each other.

Fighting off tears, Keitaro made his way to his room for the last time, retrieving his belongings, all of which fit into a backpack and a small duffel bag. 'Not much to show for all this time, is it?' He focused on other thoughts to keep himself from dwelling on how much his heart was breaking. He was leaving the only real home he'd ever known, people he'd come to care for deeply, all because he'd made one terrible mistake.

Setting his jaw and blinking away the tears that were threatening to burst forth, Keitaro took a last look at his room and walked out, shouldering his bags and his burden, the figurative load much heavier than the literal one. He trudged his way to the front door, the sounds of absolute pandemonium coming from the kitchen, accusations and denials flying like snow in a blizzard. 'Welcome to Hinata House Reika,' he thought with some sympathy. He was both upset and relieved that no one had followed him so far.

He walked down the path towards the steps, not wanting to turn around and give the residence a last look, afraid it would destroy the last of his resolve. 'Besides, I can remember every single detail,' he assured himself. Halfway down the stairs he found Haruka waiting for him, her usual cigarette hanging from her lips, her stoic mask intact, betrayed only by a hint of sadness in her eyes. "So you found your replacement." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah…"

"You sure about this?"

"No, but, I don't know what else to do. I know I'm running away, but I'm hurting everyone by staying."

"Why couldn't you have warned them?"

"Would have hurt even more. This way's quicker."

Haruka sighed and tossed away her cigarette. "Where will you go?" Her practical nature came to the forefront.

"I'll manage," he replied. A faint smile reached his lips, if not his eyes. "I'll use the rent money to find a place of my own. I'm an absentee landlord now."

Haruka was tempted to try and convince Keitaro to stay, but she figured that his mind was made up. This wasn't some spur of the moment decision, he'd thought long and hard about this. She remembered how shocked she'd been when he'd told her of his decision. She figured that the residents were going through that in spades.

There was much she wanted to say, but she felt that only one thing really mattered now. "You take care of yourself Keitaro. And let me know how you're doing." On impulse, she walked over and embraced him, a gesture he tentatively returned.

"Thank you," Keitaro whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

Separating himself from his aunt, Keitaro continued down the steps, never once looking back.

Haruka watched him leave until he disappeared from view. She then lit a new cigarette and slowly started walking towards the residence. 'Time to meet the new caretaker,' she thought idly. 'I hope she's up to the challenge…'

XXX

Keitaro walked in a daze, still having trouble reconciling with the fact that he'd actually left Hinata House. He left only enough of his mind operating to ensure that he could walk swiftly and that he wouldn't walk to any of his usual haunts by mistake. Avoiding Tokyo University was a priority to him, as that was were Naru had tracked him down the time he'd attempted to leave over the holidays. 'Maybe it won't matter,' he pondered numbly. 'I doubt that anyone will try to catch me this time…'

Keitaro wiped at his eyes harshly, determined to not let the tears come, at least not while he was in public. Leaving Hinata House had been even more painful than he'd anticipated. Of its own accord, his mind was replaying past experiences at Hinata house, the more pleasant times certainly, but more prominently the nightmarish months since Toshio had taken his revenge.

He shook his head to try and clear it, and picked up the pace of his walk, trying to find something to think about that didn't make it harder to keep from crying. His conscience wasn't letting him off the hook however, so he resigned himself to being assaulted by his memories. Keitaro did slow his pace a little when he belatedly realized what he must look like, nearly running through the streets, with an expression testament to barely maintained self-control.

'I need a quiet spot,' Keitaro decided. He turned more attention to his walk, grateful to have something else to focus on. In the distance it looked like there might be a park, and while that wouldn't be as deserted as he'd like, it was better than these crowded streets. He headed for the solitude, drawn like a moth to a porch light, anxious to find someplace he could rest and attempt to deal with his tortured thoughts.

Reaching the park, Keitaro headed for the first empty bench he could find, tossed his bags on the ground underneath it, sat down and buried his face in his hands. He took several deep, shuddering breaths as he used all of his willpower to keep up a façade of normalcy. From some of the whispered comments he overheard from passersby, it probably wasn't working, but at this point, he didn't really care. In this park at least, Keitaro was anonymous, just some strange guy who apparently had a lot on his mind.

'It's over…I-I can't go home again…' Keitaro was not referring to his mother and father. 'Where do I go now? A hotel?' For all his preparations before leaving Hinata house, Keitaro hadn't given that much thought to what he'd do after he left. He figured that he'd decide what to do when the time came. 'Well, the time's come and gone, and I still don't know what to do.'

At the first few drops of rain, Keitaro looked up and found further validation that he must have been an evil bastard in a previous life. Dark clouds had rolled in, and it looked like he'd get soaked if he didn't find shelter. But even as the rain began in earnest, he felt no great urge to leave. The rain matched his mood perfectly, and it was clearing the park of other people. If he stayed, he'd get the solitude he craved. 'Besides,' he added somberly, 'rain will hide tears…'

Keitaro felt burning around his eyes and realized that he'd already started crying. He let them flow, feeling the warm trails down his cheeks get washed away by the cold rain water. He still made an effort to keep his crying under control; silent tears in the rain were acceptable to him, bawling his eyes out wasn't.

Keitaro lost track of time as he sat in the rain, his clothing slowly becoming waterlogged. His jacket was better suited for rain, but he wasn't moving, making him an easy target. 'I really should get out of the rain,' he decided, but he felt no great compulsion to move. It was though he'd just given up, and decided to stay on that bench until he died. 'This is pathetic.' He snorted disdainfully. 'I'M pathetic, but I just don't want to have to face anyone anymore and…and…hey, why don't I feel rain anymore?' Belatedly, Keitaro realized that he could still feel the warm trails of his tears on his cheeks.

Keitaro cast his eyes upward and noticed that he was under an umbrella. He let out a breath and cursed silently. Unless he'd somehow mastered using the Force, he wasn't holding that umbrella over him, which left only one other possibility. 'They tell me they want nothing to do with me, but they chase me every time I leave! How'd they find me anyway? One of Su's inventions? Or did they lo-jack me one night while I slept?'

Keitaro gathered his resolve; this wasn't going to be easy. 'I can't look at her, it'll only make it harder if I see her face…' Taking a deep breath to marshal his courage and rubbing his hand over his face to clear away any tears, Keitaro said, "I can't go back Naru, not the way things are now…" Keitaro heard a faint intake of breath and continued. "I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry. Me leaving is the best for everyone…"

"Is it really that bad?" a quiet voice replied.

Keitaro opened his eyes in surprise. 'That-that wasn't Naru… It-it almost sounded like…' He slowly craned his head around and discovered, "Tsu-Tsuruko…"

"Hello Urashima," she answered softly.

Calling Keitaro surprised would have been a grave understatement. "What the hell are you doing here?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. "I mean, what, why… how did you?" He couldn't form a coherent sentence.

"I heard you left home," Tsuruko stated, ignoring his incoherent sputtering. "Is that true?"

Keitaro slowly nodded. "How, how did you…?"

"Motoko called me," Tsuruko replied, holding up a cell phone, and successfully guessing what Keitaro was attempting to ask.

"I left about an hour ago, how'd you get here so fast?" he demanded, incredulous that he was talking to her. "Does the Shinmei School teach teleportation?" Considering things that he'd seen Tsuruko do, it seemed the most likely explanation to Keitaro's frazzled mind.

Tsuruko shook her head slowly. "I was actually in the area."

"Why…?"

Tsuruko handed Keitaro the umbrella, which he accepted without really thinking about it. She slowly walked around to the front of the bench and gestured towards it, silently asking for Keitaro's permission to sit.

"Go-go ahead," he replied, unsure of himself. "It's wet though, you might wanna be careful…"

Tsuruko sat down and said nothing for some time, the rain beating relentlessly against her hat. She stared out at the rain, seemingly lost in thought. Keitaro watched her profile, noticing with a considerable sense of shame that Tsuruko seemed to be in greater pain than the last time they'd met.

All of the times Keitaro had seen Tsuruko, she'd always had a cheerful way about her, even when she thoroughly trounced Motoko in the Hinata House outdoor bath. But now, the way she moved was different somehow, as if she was weighed down by some burden. Not only was there no humor in her eyes, they looked as if they'd become incapable of expressing that emotion. Her frown was also unsettling, as a smile had always appeared to be the default expression on her face. Disregarding the time they'd tried to deceive her, Keitaro had only seen Tsuruko frown the night of their indiscretion, and the following morning.

After a few minutes of no sound other than the rain, Tsuruko answered Keitaro's question. "I-I was thinking of visiting you…"

Keitaro's jaw dropped in utter shock. "Wha-wha-wha," he babbled like a moron, his mind unprepared for such a response. He violently shook his head and mentally slapped himself, attempting to re-boot his frozen thought processes. "Why? Are-are you crazy?" Keitaro was too confused to have very much tact.

"I knew what Toshio had done, I heard it from Motoko," Tsuruko replied. "I had to make her swear not to harm you."

"Why'd you do that? I think I would have deserved it…"

"No, you didn't, not after what I did…"

"What YOU did?" Keitaro squawked. "It was my fault for not putting up more of a fight!"

Tsuruko put up her hand, effectively killing the argument before it could really take off. "Regardless of how it happened, you didn't deserve what my sister was planning. But it sounds like it wasn't any easier for you regardless."

"Yeah…"

"What was it like?"

Keiatro leaned back and let out a breath. "After Toshio told everyone what happened, the others didn't take it very well." A humorless chuckle escaped his lips. 'There's the understatement of the century…'

"I told Toshio not to hurt you…"

Keitaro shook his head. "I don't really blame him. If I hurt him as bad as I think, I'd say I deserved what I got."

Tsuruko pursed her lips, but didn't reply.

"How-how have you been?" Keitaro asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Troubled," Tsuruko replied glibly.

'I can imagine,' Keitaro silently sympathized. "How did Toshio react?"

"Shocked, and angered…"

"Yeah, Naru and your sister were about the same. Mostly angered though…"

For the next few minutes there was only the sound of the rain, as the two emotionally damaged people kept their thoughts to themselves. "What are you going to do?" Tsuruko asked when the silence grew too uncomfortable for her.

"Don't know," Keitaro confessed. "I'll figure something out," he reassured her.

"Then why don't you come stay with me in Kyoto?"

If Keitaro had been drinking, he would have spat it a couple of yards. Had he been eating, he would have started choking. All that he did however, was snap his head around so quickly his neck cracked. "WHAT?"

"Come stay with me," Tsuruko repeated calmly.

Keitaro stared slack-jawed, not believing what he'd heard. In his confused state he gave a dry response that would have impressed Haruka. "I don't think Toshio would appreciate that…"

"Toshio isn't there," answered Tsuruko.

Keitaro's head swam. 'Oh no…' "You-you-the two of you…you're…you're…" He couldn't give voice to his fear.

"We haven't divorced," replied Tsuruko, which made Keitaro almost collapse with relief. "Toshio said he wanted to try and face his demons," she continued. "He figured it was best if he went elsewhere to do that."

"I see… But why the hell are you inviting me to stay with you?"

"I-I'm part of the reason you had to leave Hinata House. This is my way of trying to help you…"

"No. No. Bad idea. Thanks, but no."

"Keitaro…"

"Us sleeping together was bad. Me moving in… that is SO wrong…"

"Please. I'm trying to help you…"

"How does that help? Except give everyone more reason to kill me?"

"I've caused you so much pain. I-I'm honor bound to try and help you get through this…"

Keitaro couldn't believe the surreality of this moment. The woman whose marriage he'd probably destroyed was offering to take him in. "I don't think that's going to help…"

"Please Keitaro," insisted Tsuruko. "You were there for me when I needed someone, and you tried to help me afterwards. Can't you accept my offer for what it is? A chance to help you?"

'This is nuts, me moving in with her? No way, I'd have to be crazy, maybe even suicidal to do that.' With these thoughts going through his head, Keitaro was startled when he heard someone say, "Alright." He belatedly realized that it had been his own voice. 'I gotta be nuts.'

"But with some conditions," he added after the fact to salve his survival instincts.

"Such as?"

"First of all, I'm staying in a guest room that's as remote as possible."

"Of course. I wasn't planning on having you in my bedroom," Tsuruko replied, a hint of rebuke in her voice.

'Thank God,' Keitaro thought. "Secondly, I pull my own weight; rent, food, helping out around the house, that type of thing."

"That's perfectly acceptable," Tsuruko answered with a nod.

"Please don't tell anyone I'm there."

"Obviously."

"Finally, and most importantly, if, no, WHEN Toshio comes back, I'm gone, period."

"Why are you so sure he'll come back?"

"He's married to you. Only a fool would stay away…" 'What the hell was that? Don't even THINK of flirting with her, you idiot. This is difficult enough already.' Absorbed in his own thoughts, Keitaro didn't notice Tsuruko's eyes widening at that comment.

"I agree," replied Tsuruko. "But I have a condition of my own."

"What is it?"

Tsuruko let out a breath. "Be sociable."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Be sociable. I'm not saying we have to be joined at the hip, but I'd like to talk to you from time to time. You won't just be a boarder, you'll be a guest in my home…"

It took a moment of silent contemplation for Keitaro to give an answer. "I accept." 'It's not like I'll be there very long anyway…'

"Then let's go," prompted Tsuruko, rising to her feet.

"Now?"

"Now. Unless you like sitting out in the rain…"

"It's not so bad," Keitaro replied, as he retrieved his bags from the ground.

"Not sure I agree with you," Tsuruko replied with a ghost of a smile.

Keitaro merely shrugged, and fell into step with Tsuruko, as the two of them made their way to the train station in silence.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Random1377 for pre-reading, and giving me the name 'Reika Takayashi.' In his defense, he didn't know what I needed it for, so don't blame him.

Random read this and allowed it to pass when he was satisfied with it. He then berated me on its lack of Lemon content, and then made a few helpful suggestions.

Space constraints, and concerns about traumatizing you readers, prevent me from listing all of them, but they included a nun's outfit, leather sheets, and a paint roller…


	5. Sheltering Harbor

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

C+C is welcome at hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Goddamn QuickEdit…

This story idea was inspired by SimmyC, who graciously allowed me to pick up the ball and run with it.

Thanks Man!

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

Manga continuity, after the "Burn-Up Blade" story line

Love Hina:

Ships in the Night

Chapter Five: Sheltering Harbor

The walk to the train station was conducted in silence, save for the sound of the falling rain. Keitaro kept casting his head about, idly wondering how long it would be until one of the residents, most likely Naru or Motoko or both, caught up with him. And then discovered that he was going to go stay at Tsuruko's for the time being. When he considered the probable reactions, he shuddered; it wouldn't be pleasant. Thoughts like these caused him to reconsider his decision, and he was even thinking how he would phrase it to Tsuruko, when he realized that not only had they arrived at the station, but Tsuruko had already bought the tickets, and the two of them were now boarding a train.

Inside the car, Tsuruko asked Keitaro which seat he wanted. He didn't really care, but he took the window seat, storing his bags in the overhead bin. He kept fidgeting nervously, worried that they hadn't been discovered yet, positive that Motoko or Naru were going to rush into the car, murder on their minds. It wasn't until the train started moving that Keitaro finally allowed himself to relax a little, but he still held his breath every time the door leading to another car opened.

A half hour later, Keitaro was able to accept that no one had chased after him, or they hadn't been able to catch him if they did. He'd succeeded in leaving Hinata House, and he didn't know whether he should be feeling elation or misery. At the moment, the only thing that he felt was numb. He stared out the window, watching the scenery flash by without really seeing it, focused more on his reflection in the glass. He silently blessed Tsuruko for not trying to engage him in conversation, probably sensing that that he wasn't up to talking just then. He noticed her reflection in the window, sitting in the aisle seat, with an empty seat between them. Keitaro could make out her profile in the reflection, and she appeared to be as lost in thought as he was.

The trip to Kyoto seemed to fly by like a fever dream, no details being clear, just the actual experience itself. As the train began to decelerate, Keitaro began to consider what exactly he was going to do there. He had a place to stay, but what was he going to do? 'Gotta figure something out,' he told himself. 'I can't just brood for the rest of my life…' Sighing, he decided to sleep on it. 'Maybe things will look better in the morning… Nah, they never do…' The sharp breath he let out could have been considered a laugh… if one was willing to greatly broaden the definition.

When the train finally stopped, Keitaro stood up and stretched, hissing when his joints let him know just how little they had appreciated being wrapped in wet clothing and left sitting still for a couple of hours. Retrieving his belongings, he followed Tsuruko through the station, relieved to discover that it wasn't raining in Kyoto. Walking through the early evening crowds, Keitaro couldn't help but be reminded of the last time he'd taken a walk through a city, and what had happened because if it. 'And this time, I'm going to stay at Tsuruko's HOME for Christ's sake! I still can't believe I agreed to this…'

If Tsuruko noticed his inner turmoil, she made no mention of it. The two of them kept walking in silence, neither wishing to speak, and both dealing with troubling memories. Finally they reached their destination, Tsuruko's home and dojo. It hadn't changed since the last time Keitaro had seen it, not that he had imagined anything changing. He found it interesting that some things never changed; Hinata House itself hadn't been affected by all that had happened, and it appeared that Tsuruko's home was the same way.

They walked through the gate and down the path towards the dojo, heading in the direction of the guest rooms that were attached to it. The last time he'd been there, Motoko and him had stayed in rooms in the house, with Tsuruko cheerfully reminding them that they'd have to share a room -as well as a futon- if they failed to defeat her. Tsuruko slid open the door and turned to Keitaro. "Will this be alright?"

The room was small and spartan, with a tatami mat, a light, a small table, and a wardrobe. There were no personal touches, and no pictures on the walls. The window was small, but it had a blind for privacy. There had obviously not been much consideration given to providing creature comforts, but at the moment, it was the most welcome sight Keitaro had seen in some time. "It's fine. Thank you, I-I'm sorry to be a burden like this-"

"Please," interrupted Tsuruko. "I need to do this. I should be putting you in the main house, these rooms aren't designed to be that comfortable."

"No, this will be fine," Keitaro reassured her.

"Is there anything else you need? Something to eat? A hot bath?"

"Thanks, but no. I-I think I'll turn in early, it's been a hell of a day…"

"Very well. You are welcome anywhere in my home."

"Thank you," Keitaro replied, bowing formally. "I-I guess I'll see you later. Good night Tsuruko."

"Sleep well Keitaro." Tsuruko then turned around and walked back towards the main house.

"Somehow, I doubt that…" Keitaro murmured to himself as he watched Tsuruko leave. Removing his shoes, he entered his new residence and set his bags on the floor. He slid the door shut and made his way over to the light. The sixty watt bulb did little to bring warmth to the room or illuminate it properly, but it was fine with Keitaro. He idly began removing his clothes, hanging his damp shirt and pants on the hooks on the wall, and allowing himself the chance to air-dry. He shuddered briefly from the slight chill in the air and retrieved a dry shirt from his duffel bag, mentally congratulating himself on his decision to buy one that was waterproof.

The futon was surprisingly comfortable. 'Figures,' Keitaro mused. The students who stayed in these rooms would probably need a good night's sleep if they devoted as much time to learning the art as Motoko. He derailed that train off though, yet another reminder of the enormity of his decision. He glanced over at his cell phone. 'Should I call Haruka? No, I'll wait till later, she's had enough troubles for one day.'

Rolling on to his side, Keitaro turned off the light and attempted to fall asleep, and put the traumatic day behind him. But as he lay there, he felt his eyes moisten up with tears, and in the privacy of the room, Keitaro finally gave in to the strong emotions he'd struggled to contain since he'd left. He let the tears flow unabashedly, sobbing openly but quietly, still a little ashamed by his loss of control.

Keitaro cried for nearly ten minutes, well beyond his supply of tears. His dry sobs filled the room, and his pillow was damp with tears. Eventually, he calmed down and composed himself, but he could feel himself teetering on the edge of breaking down again. He decided that this was the absolute low point of his life, and that things couldn't possibly get any worse. 'Oh, wait, they could. Motoko could decide to visit Tsuruko tomorrow and find me here…' He snorted in disgust. 'Just when you think you've hit rock bottom, there's always somebody ready with a jackhammer…'

Having regained some control over his emotions, with the help of a little gallows humor, Keitaro took a few deep cleansing breaths, turned his pillow over so he wouldn't have rest in his own tears, and closed his eyes. While an occasional tear did flow, he was able to achieve the sleep he needed.

In spite of his fears, that night Keitaro experienced no dreams, either pleasant or unpleasant, just the welcome oblivion of sleep.

XXX

The following morning was peaceful, and the Shinmei School and residence were shrouded in early morning mist. It was an almost idyllic morning, the kind the most fervent morning people adore, and even morning haters will grudgingly admit are pleasant, before they roll over and try to fall back to sleep. At this time of year, the sun hadn't yet cleared the horizon, but the eastern sky was getting lighter.

When Keitaro woke up, he found himself disoriented. 'Where, where am I? This isn't my-' He broke off his pondering when his memory finally reminded him what had happened the day before. 'This is Tsuruko's home, isn't it?' He blinked and rubbed his eyes, taking another look at his surroundings, nodding to himself as he came to grips with what had happened. He turned on the light and glanced at his cell phone. It was just past six in the morning.

Putting on some sweatpants and his beloved 'Bounty Hunter' sweatshirt, Keitaro opened the door and took a look at the compound. 'Peaceful,' he decided. There was no activity at that early hour, but he'd slept too long to consider trying to go back to sleep. 'What do I do? Get something to eat? Have a bath? Tsuruko said I was welcome, but I feel weird about just walking in…'

In the stillness of the morning air, Keitaro's ears picked up a faint rustling sound. 'What's that noise? Kinda sounds like someone shaking out laundry… A class this early?' the sound was coming from the dojo, and his curiosity getting the better of him, Keitaro strode quietly towards it, not wanting to inadvertently startle a dojo full of kendoists. He glanced through an open door, and the sight before his eyes rooted him to the spot.

Instead of the room full of students that he'd half expected, Keitaro observed Tsuruko going through an intricate kata. He's seen Motoko practicing from time to time, and he'd had firsthand experience on the receiving end of some of her techniques, but she'd never been able to move with such precision. He didn't need to be an expert on kendo to appreciate the exquisite skill that the kata required. Not a movement was wasted, not a strike was out of place. She moved with a sense of poise and grace that made a ballerina look like a drunken klutz by comparison.

After a few minutes of mesmerized observation, Keitaro tore his gaze away, moving discretely away from the dojo. He could feel his cheeks burning; he was somewhat embarrassed, as if he'd accidentally intruded on something personal. 'I need to get cleaned up, and maybe I should make breakfast. Gotta pull my own weight around here.' Keitaro occupied himself thinking about what he could do to avoid being a burden, using those thoughts to help push the comfortable image of Tsuruko working through the kata out of his mind.

Gathering his bathing supplies, Keitaro hesitantly entered the main house, hoping with all his heart that Toshio hadn't chosen last night to return home. The house was still, seemingly empty and Keitaro breathed a sigh of relief as he walked to one of the smaller bathrooms. The home did have an outdoor bath, but there was no way in hell Keitaro was going to use that. He didn't feel comfortable with the thought of using it, and with his luck, Tsuruko would probably accidentally walk in on him and…

Viciously shaking his head to eradicate the suddenly vivid recollection of what Tsuruko looked like naked, Keitaro hurried into the bathroom, shed his clothes, entered the western style shower and turned on the cold tap as far as it would go. "Gah!" The cold shower worked as promised, pushing all thoughts of a vaguely sexual nature aside, and shocking him into clear-headedness. He kept the water cold until his teeth started chattering, before he finally turned on the hot water.

Warm again, and in better control of his thoughts, Keitaro began to once again reconsider his decision to accept Tsuruko's invitation. 'Haven't been here a day and I'm already fantasizing about her.' In his defense, Keitaro knew that he hadn't intentionally thought of her like that, but his mind had cheerfully intervened in an innocuous thought. 'Pull yourself together, or find somewhere else to stay,' he admonished himself. Staring at his reflection in the tiles, Keitaro looked hard into his own eyes, idly wondering how his glare hadn't shattered the ceramic. 'Never again. That's what started all this, remember?'

Having reminded himself of what he WASN'T going to do while he was there, Keitaro began contemplating some of the things he could do. 'The roof looked like it might need a little work, and maybe there's some other repairs I can do.' He ran through a list of things that usually required maintenance at Hinata House, and wondered if the same was true here. 'Don't think I'll have to constantly repair holes in the walls and roof,' he realized. 'I wonder how Reika's doing? I never really asked her what kind of experience she had, did I?' He sighed as he continued to wash up. 'I think I just threw a baby lamb to the wolves…'

With thoughts of regret running through his mind, Keitaro finished his shower and dried off, before changing into some new clothes. 'I'll call Aunt Haruka later, see how she's holding up.' Having mollified his conscience somewhat, Keitaro walked out of the bathroom and made his way into the kitchen. He hadn't cooked for a while, but he figured he could prepare breakfast. 'Least I can do to thank her…'

In the kitchen, Keitaro briefly considered what to prepare before settling on something western. He took out what he needed and began his preparations. He was about two-thirds finished when Tsuruko entered the kitchen, looking rather composed and rested, despite the exertions he'd witnessed in the dojo. "Good morning," Keitaro called out.

"Good morning Keitaro," Tsuruko replied. "I'm sorry, did my morning practice wake you?"

Keitaro shook his head. "No, I just couldn't sleep anymore, so I figured I could clean up and make breakfast." He shrugged. "Gotta do something to be useful around here…"

"You're a guest Keitaro…"

"Maybe, but I shouldn't just mope in my room," he answered. "Hungry?"

"Um-yes." Tsuruko seemed a little surprised by the abrupt change in topic. "What are you making?"

"French toast."

"French toast?"

"Shinobu made it for us a few times…" Keitaro felt himself start to reminisce, and shook his head to keep himself focused on the present. "Try it. If you don't like it, I can make something else…"

Tsuruko shook her head. "No need, smells pretty good."

"Oops, gotta flip it." Keitaro used the spatula to turn over the two pieces of bread. "Be ready in a minute."

Tsuruko nodded and took a seat at the table, watching Keitaro scurry around the kitchen finishing up the breakfast. In a few minutes he was done, and he placed a plate of French toast in front of her along with a glass of orange juice, before taking a seat across the table himself. "Thank you." She took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. "It's good…"

"I'm not that good," Keitaro replied modestly.

"I'm serious."

"Thanks."

Nothing more was said for some time as the two ate, each of them having some thoughts about the other, but neither wanting to be the first to raise the issue. Once he'd finished, and placed both plates in the sink for washing, Keitaro asked about what chores he could do around the house.

"You just got here Keitaro, you don't have to start right away…"

"It's what I said I needed to do, remember?" Keitaro turned on the tap and began washing the dishes.

"But why are you so eager?" pressed Tsuruko.

Keitaro didn't answer immediately, he simply continued to scrub the dirty plates. After a minute or so of silence, he gave his reason. "It's easier this way…"

"Easier…?"

"If I keep busy, I don't have to think about it so much…" Keitaro turned his attentions to the frying pan and began scouring the remains of the French Toast off of its surface, using more force than was required. He blinked quickly, silently grumbling at the dirt in the air making his eyes water.

Tsuruko watched the young man go about cleaning up the kitchen with an almost frightening intensity. Not wanting to disturb him while he worked, she got up and started to head out, but she turned back over her shoulder and told Keitaro, "I'll-I'll find some things for you to do after I get cleaned up. Is that alright?"

Not trusting himself to speak, Keitaro merely nodded.

Acknowledging his answer, Tsuruko made her way to the outdoor bath, concern for the emotionally wounded man in her kitchen staying with her for some time.

Back in the kitchen, Keitaro continued to clean with a single minded intensity, going far beyond what he used to make breakfast, and giving the entire room his undivided attention. As he went about washing the counters, a small part of his mind wondered what it would take to wash away the stain he felt was on his very soul.

XXX

"Hello Aunt Haruka." It had been two days since Keitaro had arrived at Tsuruko's home, and he decided it was time to check in with Haruka.

"Keitaro! Where are you?"

'No way I'm answering that,' he mused. "I'm safe Aunt Haruka, I'm just staying somewhere now. How's everything? How's Reika doing?"

"She's doing fine, actually…" Haruka had a trace of disbelief in her voice.

"Fine?" The disbelief in Keitaro's voice was more than a trace.

"She just started cleaning the place up, gushing about how happy she was to finally be working in a dorm. She even replaced the old wiring we had in some of the guest rooms."

"She's an electrician too?"

"Shouldn't you have known that?" accused Haruka.

"I-I missed a few things in the interview," Keitaro admitted, shaking his head at the way things had played out. He'd always feared electricity, avoided working with it whenever possible, and Reika had just jumped in with both feet. "How is…everyone?"

Haruka let out a deep breath. "Confused. Upset. They can't believe you left. _I_ can't believe you left. You want me to tell them you called?"

"No!" Keitaro blurted. "I mean, tell them I'm okay, and I'm sorry, but don't tell them where I am…"

"I don't know where you are, remember?" Haruka pointed out. "I see you're using your cell phone…"

"I see you've still got caller ID," replied Keitaro.

"Yeah. Well, after you left, Shinobu, Su, and Kitsune tried to find you…"

"They, they did…?"

"They did. Didn't succeed, obviously. For someone who didn't want to run away, you did a pretty good job of it."

Keitaro felt his shoulders slump in shame. "Everyone was hurting, it's better this way…" He wished his words didn't ring so hollow to him.

"Everyone's still hurting," Haruka replied. "Even Naru and Motoko…"

"I figured they'd be relieved…"

"You're not that stupid," rebuked Haruka. "They were mad at you, but instead of working things out, you avoided each other."

"I slept with Motoko's sister. How do I 'work that out'?"

"I don't know," she allowed grudgingly. "But the three of you didn't even try!" The frustration in Haruka was obvious even over the phone.

"There was nothing I could say…"

"You sure about that?"

"How could I defend what I did without making Tsuruko look bad? I wasn't going to do that…"

"This sure caused you some trouble…" reminded Haruka.

"I ruined her marriage," Keitaro answered back. "I'd say she suffered more."

"You sure?"

"Yes," Keitaro replied after a brief silence.

"Not sure I agree with you…"

"How-how's everyone treating Reika?" Keitaro asked, deliberately changing the subject.

Haruka frowned at the redirection, but didn't do anything to prevent it. "They're treating her as good as you might expect."

"They're not angry at her, are they?" Keitaro felt another tendril of guilt at how he'd just dropped everything on his replacement.

"No, I don't think so," replied Haruka. "She's so friendly and cheerful, hating her would be like trying to kick a puppy. Where'd you find her anyway?"

"Classified ads."

"Well, if nothing else, at least your replacement is pretty good at the job."

"That's good…"

Haruka then spoke in a hushed tone, as if she was afraid of being overheard. "Are you sure you can't come back? You're missed here…"

"It was hard leaving, but it'd be even harder to come back. I can't look Naru or Motoko in the eye, I lied to everyone there, they'd never trust me again…"

"You're being too hard on yourself," insisted Haruka.

"Maybe, but that's my choice." Keitaro sighed deeply before continuing. "I've got to go now Aunt Haruka, I've got things to do…"

"Like what?"

"Just things," replied Keitaro. "I'll call again later."

"Take care of your 'things' then. Goodbye." With that, Haruka hung up abruptly, leaving Keitaro with nothing but a dial tone.

'At least things aren't all bad back home,' Keitaro consoled himself. 'Things aren't quite as awkward here either.' Over the past few days Tsuruko and Keitaro had come to an agreement about his responsibilities. He would keep up with basic maintenance of the house and grounds, as well as some of the shopping and occasionally cooking. These tasks kept him occupied, but he still had a lot of spare time on his hands, which gave him far too much time to dwell on unpleasant memories.

'Tsuruko mentioned that the second floor windows need cleaning. How the hell did they keep this place maintained without any staff?' Keitaro wondered. While not as sprawling as Hinata House, the Shinmei School dojo and residence was rather large. It had to be a couple of centuries old, but it was in excellent upkeep, better than Hinata House had been when Keitaro had first arrived. 'Of course, I doubt anyone ever got launched through a wall here. Besides Motoko and I, I mean…'

Filling a bucket with warm water and vinegar, and taking some cloth rags, Keitaro headed up the stairs to the second floor. 'Aunt Haruka wasn't happy with me,' he recalled, as he started wiping down the first window. 'She usually isn't that curt. Nothing I can do about it though. But I don't want to burn ALL of my bridges…'

Frowning, Keitaro tried to focus his attention on the windows, and put his troubled relationships on the back burner. For a while it worked, and he was able to go about the simple yet painstaking task of cleaning and drying all the windows on the second floor. Once finished, he surveyed his work, experiencing the satisfaction of a job well done. Wiping the last tiny streak off of the last window, he picked up the bucket and dumped it down the bathroom sinks before heading back downstairs. At the base of the stairs he encountered Tsuruko, who was on her way up. "Do you want me to make anything in particular tonight?" he asked her.

"You're cooking again?"

"We agreed, a couple of times a week, remember? I still think I should be doing more…"

"No, that's enough. It's hard to get used to this, just make what you want."

"I understand." With that, he nodded in farewell and continued on his way. 'And I still can't believe I'm working here, staying here.' Keitaro shook his head at the strange turn his life had taken. 'I shouldn't think about things too much, it makes my head hurt…'

XXX

"So, how was it?" asked Keitaro.

"Better, but you're still using too much garlic."

"Shinobu liked garlic, and she taught me this recipe."

"It's only a little too much."

"I'll cut it down next time." Keitaro stood up and began cleaning up the dinner dishes. It was the third time in as many weeks he'd tried making pasta, and using Shinobu's recipe for the sauce. It was one of his favorites, and Tsuruko seemed to like it as well. Tsuruko stood up to give him a hand, but he waved her off. "Sit down, I don't do enough to help out around here."

Tsuruko complied and watched him work for a minute or two. "You know, with your cooking and cleaning skills, you'll make some lucky guy a great wife one day," she deadpanned.

Keitaro nearly dropped the handful of dishes he was carrying. He regained his composure, set the dishes down in the sink and looked at Tsuruko like she was crazy, when he noticed a ghost of a smile on her lips. He decided to rise to the challenge. "Only in prison."

Now it was Tsuruko's turn to be surprised, but Keitaro felt oddly disappointed when her only reaction was a slight widening of her eyes. She then chuckled briefly, and a genuine smile came over her features, which Keitaro found himself mirroring. 'Whoa, that's the first time I've seen her smile since I got here… Nice to see it again.' Out loud he said, "You need me to pick up some groceries tomorrow?"

Tsuruko shook her head. "No, we'll be alright. Keitaro, I've been thinking…"

"Yes…?"

"Wouldn't it be easier if you moved into a room in the house?"

Now Keitaro shook his head. "No, it's better where I am."

"Why?"

"I don't want to be a burden."

"But-"

"Tsuruko, please… I wouldn't be comfortable doing that." 'Living here is odd enough already,' Keitaro added silently.

"You could at least use the outdoor bath," Tsuruko insisted.

Automatically, Keitaro had flashbacks of Hinata House, and the times he'd gone into the outdoor bath. And the beatings he'd experienced subsequently. "Um, I don't think that's a good idea either…"

Tsuruko seemed to read his thoughts "I'm not planning on walking in on you, and I'll make certain you know if I'm in there."

Keitaro found the tone of rebuke in Tsuruko's voice strangely reassuring. "Then I accept."

"No need to be so formal."

"It's your home, I'm just visiting."

"As you say," replied Tsuruko, standing up and walking out of the dining room.

'Let's hope I have better luck with outdoor baths here than I did at Hinata House,' Keitaro fervently wished. Then a mental image of Tsuruko in a towel flooded into his mind unbidden. 'And I really hope she doesn't walk in on me, it's hard enough as it is trying not to think about that…' Keitaro was thankful that Tsuruko had left the room, as he could feel his cheeks burning.

The nightmares that had plagued him had all but ceased, but the more feverish variety continued; the proximity to Tsuruko probably hadn't helped. Keitaro thought that it was strange that while he hadn't been thinking of her like that, the first morning not withstanding, his imagination was more than happy to do it at night while he slept. He silently thanked whatever gods were listening that he was able to do his own laundry in private.

Feeling somewhat ashamed of himself, even though there was nothing he could do about it, Keitaro fell back into his usual coping strategy, keeping busy to keep his mind occupied. 'Damn skillet, non-stick coating, my ass…' He grimaced as he struggled to scrub a stubborn clump of burned on sauce, feeling a disproportionate amount of satisfaction when he succeeded in cleaning it off. Finishing the rest of the clean-up ten minutes later, Keitaro decided that he'd take advantage of Tsuruko's offer and use the outdoor bath.

After making a sign on a blank sheet of paper, Keitaro walked to the entrance and tacked it to the door. He then knocked loudly and called out, insuring that Tsuruko hadn't already stepped in. Satisfied that it was empty, Keitaro double-checked the sign to make certain that it wasn't going to fall off, before shutting the door behind him.

After stripping, Keitaro washed himself off with the shower hose before making his way outside and into the bath. He let out a contented sigh as he immersed himself into the near scalding water. He'd missed this, the magnificent indulgence of a long, hot soak. A hot shower wasn't bad in its own way, but a hot bath was truly something to savor. Settling back, he placed a damp cloth on his forehead and watched the darkening sky. From what he remembered, you could see a fair number of stars at night this far out from Kyoto's city center. This early, only the evening star was visible, but it served as a harbinger of others.

'It really is peaceful here,' Keitaro mused. 'I can see why this is such a good place to train. No real distractions, you could devote all your energy to perfecting the art.' He paused in his reverie to cast nervous glances at the entrance to the bath out of habit and experience, preparing to scramble should someone walk in unexpectedly. Back at Hinata House, Kitsune or Su would have walked in by now, sign or no sign, or Sarah would have removed it, and Naru or Motoko would have stumbled onto him by now. But here, there was no sound of any impending intruders, and Keitaro found himself unconsciously beginning to relax, though he still tensed up at even the slightest sound.

His idle thoughts about Hinata House caused Keitaro to wonder how everyone was doing. 'Did they give up looking for me? Or is Su building something that can track my DNA?' He'd meant this last thought in jest, but it dawned on him that Su probably was capable of building such a device. 'If she does… Let's just hope it has a short range,' he thought soberly. Keitaro figured that his best hope was his improbable location. 'I doubt they'd think to look here. I wouldn't think to look for me here.'

Putting that disconcerting thought aside, Keitaro continued to wonder about his former tenants. 'I hope that Naru and Motoko aren't as angry anymore, now that I've left. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to work this out one day.' Privately though, Keitaro had his doubts. 'I hurt them both. I lied to everyone, but I really hurt them the most.' He let out another deep sigh. 'I never meant to hurt anyone, but there's no way to undo what I did.'

'And what about Tsuruko?' another part of his mind asked. 'What was she going through?' Keitaro honestly wasn't sure, despite all of the time they'd spent together recently. 'We've never talked about it, I've been afraid to ask her. Should I? If so, how? That's not something you can talk about casually over dinner…'

"If this was killing me, what was SHE going through?" Keitaro said to himself. 'Was she wracked by guilt like I was? Was she able to look in the mirror? Toshio never said much…' He blushed as he recalled that Toshio had mentioned that Tsuruko had apparently dreamed about him. He shook his head. 'So what? I dreamt about her, but that didn't mean anything. They were…pleasant…dreams,' he grudgingly admitted, 'but that doesn't mean I was proud of them…' To Keitaro, the dreams were unseemly, an inappropriate celebration of something that wasn't right. 'I'd have a lobotomy if it would stop these dreams…'

"I have to talk to her, don't I?" Keitaro asked the stars. While they didn't answer, they hadn't needed to; the question was purely rhetorical. "Before I leave, I'll talk to her," he vowed. However, since he had no idea how long he'd stay, Keitaro knew this was a tenuous promise at best.

Rising from the water and wrapping a towel around himself, Keitaro walked to the changing area to dry off and get dressed. Once he was finished, he left the changing area, taking the sign off of the door. Having nothing else planned for the evening, and feeling drowsy from the hot soak, Keitaro decided to turn in. He left the house and walked across the compound to his room, marveling once again at the beauty and dignity of Tsuruko's home.

Safe in his room, Keitaro stripped down to his skivvies and got into bed, turning off the light and letting the darkness envelop him like a cloak. He closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep. But once again, he found his sleep invaded by erotic images; he was able to vividly recall every sound and movement Tsuruko had made with him, and when he finally snapped awake in the morning, her cries were still echoing in his ears, and he could easily describe the taste of her lips on his own.

XXX

"Kendo? Me?"

"That's right," Tsuruko replied calmly. "You've been here nearly a month and a half, and I believe it's high time you started to learn what this school is known for."

"I know what it's known for," Keitaro insisted. "I've seen a lot of its techniques, and been on the receiving end of most of them."

Tsuruko calmly sipped her tea for a few moments, before she set her cup down and looked at Keitaro over the breakfast table. She wore the patient smile of someone who has heard more than a few objections, but always gets their way in the end. "You've obviously seen some of our schools capabilities, but have you ever tried to learn them?"

"Aside from the marriage thing with Motoko? No, I haven't," Keitaro answered.

"Then you shall learn while you are staying here," Tsuruko concluded serenely. "After breakfast, change into something casual and meet me in the dojo." With this, Tsuruko finished her tea and rose from the table, leaving a flustered Keitaro behind her.

"But, but I don't-" Keitaro broke of his objections when he realized that he was talking to himself. He let out a sigh and shook his head ruefully. 'How did I get into this?' he wondered. 'I just asked Tsuruko how long she'd been learning the art, and the next thing I know I'm her new student…' Knowing that there was nothing he could do to stop it, Keitaro began to clean up the remains of breakfast, a little faster than he normally would. 'Tsuruko probably doesn't like to be kept waiting…'

Finishing the clean-up, Keitaro walked out of the house and headed for his room, nervous about what was going to happen. 'I'm the guy who ruined her marriage, she's going to be in an isolated setting with me, and she'll have her sword out. Why do I think this is going to hurt?' Keitaro changed into a T-shirt and shorts, the closest things he had to exercise clothes, and exited the room, entering the dojo for the first time.

'Impressive…' Keitaro thought to himself as he took a look at the training hall. The dojo was easily the largest structure in the compound, with gorgeous hardwood floors and a vaulted ceiling. He found himself looking around in awe, feeling somewhat intimidated by his surroundings. The room was designed to humble all the people who entered, and Keitaro felt even more insignificant as he slowly spun around to take in the entire interior. His reverie was broken when Tsuruko cleared her throat.

Instinctively, Keitaro snapped to attention and bowed to Tsuruko. He'd studied martial arts briefly when he was younger, and he remembered the proper way to convey respect.

Tsuruko nodded, seemingly pleased that Keitaro wasn't a complete novice when it came to martial arts. "Very good. However, this will be an informal instruction, so you can relax Keitaro."

"Yes sensei," he replied, not relaxing in the slightest. Tsuruko might sound relaxed, but she was still radiating an aura that commanded respect.

Tsuruko took Keitaro's continued formality in stride. "Take a practice bokken from the rack," she directed.

"Yes sensei." Keitaro walked over to the rack and took a look at the selection of wooden practice swords. Not knowing the difference between a 'good' one and a 'bad' one, he selected the first one that caught his eye. Feeling it in his grip, he was reminded of the only other time he'd held one, when Motoko had challenged him to defeat her or leave Hinata House. That had ended in an unlikely draw.

Hoisting his weapon, and becoming accustomed to its grip and heft, Keitaro returned to his place on the floor before Tsuruko. 'So, what happens now? Is she going to challenge me to a duel, or just try and teach me a kata?' he wondered.

As it happened, Tsuruko was planning the latter. "Have you ever attempted a kendo kata?"

Keitaro shook his head. "Never."

Tsuruko raised an eyebrow. "Motoko never tried to teach you?"

"I was just her practice dummy," Keitaro blandly replied.

"Very well. Observe the kata I will perform, and when I'm finished, try to repeat it. Don't worry about making mistakes, I'm just trying to gauge your skill level."

"I understand."

Taking a ready stance and drawing her sword, Tsuruko closed her eyes and took a breath in preparation, before she flashed into movement.

Keitaro stared in awe, his jaw lowering in amazement. He'd seen Motoko train from time to time, and as such he recognized some of the movements, but even as graceful as Motoko had been, her older sister seemed to transcend the word 'grace'. The first morning he'd come across Tsuruko practicing in the dojo and had discretely observed her for a few minutes before he walked away, afraid of being thought of as 'peeping'. Up close the kata was even more impressive, even though it was nowhere as complex as the one he'd observed.

Tsuruko was flowing effortlessly from form to form, not even needing conscious thought to guide her actions. It was all Keitaro could do to not stare in wonderment. 'How, how am I supposed to do THAT?' he asked himself. 'I don't think I could do a fraction of that…' His eyes vainly tried to absorb all of the subtleties of Tsuruko's movements as she performed her deadly dance. When she finished, he nearly broke out in applause.

"Your turn."

"Huh…?" Keitaro asked stupidly.

"You try it," reminded Tsuruko.

"Um, alright…" Keitaro replied, feelings of inadequacy flowing through him. 'Let's see, how did that start?' Keitaro adjusted his grip on the bokken and placed his feet in what he hoped was the right position. Closing his eyes and taking a breath to steady his nerves, Keitaro opened his eyes, and began the first moves of the kata…

…and almost immediately went ass over teakettle.

To his credit, Keitaro performed the first slash adequately, but things quickly went downhill from there. When he moved his right foot to set up for the next movement, Keitaro caught his foot on a floor plank that was only a hair higher than the others. The board tripped him up with a yelp, and the wooden sword flew from his hands.

Astonished, Tsuruko watched in morbid fascination as Keitaro landed chin first on the dojo floor, unconsciously wincing in sympathy. Her eyes switched to the cast-off bokken, tracing its trajectory as it spun in the air. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she deduced its likely point of impact. 'I don't believe it…' Just as she had figured, the point of the sword hit Keitaro on the back of the head just as he was extracting himself from the floor, driving it back down with a thud.

"Ohhh…" Keitaro groaned, his head spinning from the multiple traumas. "Musta tripped." His rattled mind was only able to produce that semi-coherent thought.

"Keitaro! Are-are you alright?" Tsuruko asked, moving towards him, any thought of continuing the lesson forgotten.

"I'm fine," he replied, sitting up and shaking his head to clear the cobwebs. "I've been hit harder than that…"

Tsuruko watched the young man slowly return to his feet. "Perhaps you just aren't suited to kendo after all… No offence."

"None taken," Keitaro replied. "I could have told you that…"

"You didn't do too badly when you were engaged to Motoko," Tsuruko reminded him.

"That was mostly her, remember? I just tried to stay out of the way. All I brought to the party was a cursed sword… I still can't believe we won…"

"Why not?"

"Motoko is good, but you…" Words failed Keitaro at the moment. He recalled Motoko unleashing the kendo equivalent of a tactical nuclear weapon, her 'Thunder Blade' technique, and Tsuruko had just shrugged it off. "I didn't think you could be beaten…" Keitaro resumed his stance, but faltered as the dojo began spinning. "Sorry sensei, give me a minute here…"

Tsuruko shook her head. "Don't worry about it Keitaro. Let's get you some ice for your chin." Keitaro's chin was starting to darken noticeably and would probably end up an interesting shade of purple if it wasn't iced promptly.

"Sure…" Keitaro responded, still a little dazed from the twin blows to the head. The two of them made their way back into the house and Keitaro took a seat at the kitchen table while Tsuruko went to the freezer for some ice. Wrapping some ice cubes in a towel, she handed the bundle to Keitaro, who accepted it gratefully and placed it on his chin with a hiss.

"I'm sorry that happened Keitaro."

"Why are you sorry?" he asked. "I'm the clumsy one…"

"I shouldn't have forced you…"

"Don't worry about it." Keitaro dismissed her worries with a wave of his hand. "It's no big deal…"

"You're very understanding…" Tsuruko said with a faint smile.

"So I've heard," Keitaro replied with a smile of his own, before he winced from the pain the smile caused.

While Keitaro was holding the cold pack to his chin, Tsuruko got up and put on a kettle of water in preparation of making tea. "Would you like some tea?" she called out.

Not wanting to hurt himself more by talking, Keitaro nodded.

Tsuruko placed a couple of teabags in a teapot and took two mugs from the cupboard, putting them on the counter. When the water started boiling a few minutes later, she emptied it into the teapot, allowing it to steep for a few minutes before pouring the hot beverage into the mugs. Bringing the cups to the table, Tsuruko handed one to Keitaro, who accepted it with a nod. He had to move the cold compress before he was able to take a sip. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

As the two of them sipped tea in silence, Keitaro decided to ask Tsuruko something that he'd been wondering about for some time. "How long are you willing to put up with me?"

"Put up with you?" Tsuruko repeated.

"All I do is look after a few chores, I don't contribute much, you're charging me too little for rent, I don't do enough…" At this point Keitaro was babbling.

Tsuruko gently pointed this out to him.

Keitaro took a breath to focus his thoughts. "I guess I want to ask, how long are you willing to let me stay here? I've been here over a month and a half. I admit, I haven't really tried to find another place, but I will if you want me to."

Tsuruko appeared to ponder the question briefly, before she gave her reply. "You may stay as long as you feel welcome."

"Feel welcome?"

"It's my fault you had to leave your home." Tsuruko raised her hand to cut off the objection Keitaro was about to make. "You're here because it's my responsibility."

'Her responsibility.' Keitaro wasn't able to explain the odd, faint pang of disappointment that this was her only reason. Tossing aside that potentially troublesome train of thought, Keitaro said, "I understand. Thank you again, I really can't thank you enough for this, even though I should have found something else, and I know this can't be easy for you, and-"

"Keitaro…"

"Yes…?"

"You're babbling again…"

"Sorry."

"It's not a big deal," Tsuruko replied with a soft smile.

"Okay…" Keitaro finally acknowledged. He found himself smiling back and he tried to tell himself that his heart rate had not increased at the sight of Tsuruko's smile.

The two of them continued to drink the rest of their tea in silence.

XXX

At the Café Hinata, Haruka was reading the newspaper when the phone rang. Setting the paper down, she walked over to the phone, raising an eyebrow at the number that came up on the display. Taking her cigarette out of her mouth, she picked up the receiver and said, "Hello Keitaro."

"Aunt Haruka…"

"It's been a while Keitaro," Haruka replied off-handedly. "You've been gone, what, two months? And you haven't called in a couple of weeks…"

Keitaro flinched at the tone of accusation in Haruka's voice. "I-I'm sorry, I've been all right, I didn't want to trouble you…"

"It wouldn't have been troubling me," Haruka pointed out. "Did you go to Parakelese again?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did you go back to Parakelese?"

"Uh, no, I didn't. Why?"

"Kitsune's running a pool on where they'll eventually find you. I had two thousand yen on Parakelese."

"They-they're still looking for me? Why?"

"Yeah, they're still looking for you. The third expedition returned only yesterday. It was lonely with only Reika to talk with," Haruka remarked.

"Reika?" Keitaro wondered aloud. "You mean Naru and Motoko went as well?"

"Yes."

Keitaro let out a sigh. "They must really be pissed if they're trying to find me…"

"Perhaps," allowed Haruka. "Or perhaps not…"

Keitaro's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"They're still upset, but there's more to it than that."

"More?"

"Maybe they'd like to work things out…"

"They didn't when I was there…"

"Things have changed. There's a difference between wanting you gone, and you actually being gone," Haruka stated.

Keitaro mulled over his aunt's words. "It's still too painful," he said after some contemplation. "I did hurt them, and they'll still be angry." 'Especially if they find out where I've been staying,' he added silently.

"It's your decision Keitaro," declared Haruka. "I can't make you change your mind. I don't agree with what you're doing, but I'll support it."

"Thank you. How is everyone, aside from the obvious?"

"Pretty good spirits considering… Reika's helped with that."

"Oh? How so?"

"She's been kind of like a big sister to everyone here," Haruka replied, the amusement in her voice obvious. "She's also a better caretaker than you ever were Keitaro."

"Really…"

"Well, no one gets upset when she walks into the outdoor bath unannounced, and no one's accused her of peeping either…"

Keitaro nodded at that, even though Haruka couldn't see the gesture. "I expected that. That's why I asked for a female caretaker in the ad."

"Makes sense," admitted Haruka. "But did you know she was a genius at maintenance?"

"No, I didn't. Is she really that good?"

"She's better than good. Carpentry, plumbing, electrical, she can do it all."

"Where'd she learn all that?" Keitaro wondered.

"I asked her that once. She said she learned from her father, that he was a contractor in the Nerima district, always had plenty of rush jobs, or something like that," replied Haruka.

"I'm glad at least some things are under control. If anyone asks, let them know I'm alright, okay?"

"They'd rather hear it from you…"

"It'll be too hard for me to talk to them," Keitaro confessed. "I'll probably start crying."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Haruka asked softly.

"…No…" Keitaro replied after a moment. "But I don't wanna re-open any old wounds…"

Haruka's silence on the other end of the line spoke eloquently about her opinion of Keitaro's point of view.

Keitaro, conscious of the uncomfortable vibe which had formed between him and his aunt, decided to cut things off before they got any worse. "I've got to go Aunt Haruka. I'll call later, maybe in a week or so…"

"Then we'll talk later. Goodbye Keitaro."

"Goodbye Aunt Haruka." Keitaro heard her hang up, and found himself listening to the dial tone for a few seconds before pressing the 'END' button on his cell phone. 'At least things are stable back home,' he told himself as he set down his phone and exited the room. 'Time to make breakfast…'

Keitaro walked across the compound, breathing in the cool morning air, the hint of dew giving the air a slightly sweet tinge. Entering the kitchen, he found Tsuruko there, having obviously finished her morning workout. "Good morning Tsuruko."

"Good morning Keitaro," she answered back with a pleasant smile.

Keitaro found his expression mirroring hers. "What will it be this morning? Traditional breakfast, or western?"

"Surprise me," Tsuruko replied with a shrug.

"I don't think that's possible," Keitaro answered dryly as he started his preparations. Neither spoke again as Keitaro busied himself in his task, and the only sounds made were the clinking of utensils in bowls, and the pleasant sounds of cooking. Ten minutes later, it was done, and Keitaro placed the plates on the table with a flourish.

Tsuruko nodded in thanks and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. "Your cooking is getting better," she remarked after swallowing the mouthful.

"I've had a lot of practice," Keitaro conceded.

"It wasn't bad before," Tsuruko clarified, "but it is getting better."

"I'm still not up to Shinobu's level," Keitaro said humbly.

"Perhaps. But with time, who knows?"

"Thanks…" The two resumed eating in silence, both enjoying the food and the company. While he was eating, Keitaro kept taking discrete looks across the table at Tsuruko. 'She seems happier now than when I first got here,' he reasoned. He pursed his lips as another thought occurred to him. 'I don't feel so miserable either. Is it because I left Hinata House… or because I'm here?'

The last thought caused an uncomfortable feeling to appear in Keitaro's stomach. 'I, I'm getting too comfortable here, aren't I… Why am I still here? Where the hell is Toshio? Why hasn't he come back? If I was him I would have… It's been two months! How long does it take to 'fight demons' anyway?'

Taking a savage bite of his food to burn off some frustration, Keitaro tried to put his thoughts in order. The woman he was 'living with,' to put it delicately, was obviously beautiful… and married. There had already been one indiscretion between them, and the effects of that mistake were still being felt. 'Don't let yourself develop feelings for her dumb-ass, it'll just make things harder when it ends.'

'Then why are you still living here? You could have found somewhere else…'

Keitaro shook his head to clear that thought out, even as he admitted that he had no answer for it. Finishing the rest of his breakfast without really tasting it, Keitaro glanced up and noticed Tsuruko watching him.

"Something on your mind?" she asked.

'Yeah, you…' Out loud he replied, "Not really, just trying to remember what I need to do today…"

"There's nothing really pressing, just do what you usually do."

"Okay." With that, Keitaro stood up and began to clear up the table.

Tsuruko stood up, stretched languidly, and thanked Keitaro for breakfast. "I'll see you later, I'm going to have a bath now."

Keitaro tensed at that. "Later then," he replied, keeping his back to her. He listened for the sound of her footsteps to die off before he released the breath he was holding. He could feel his cheeks burning, as an enticing vision of Tsuruko in the bath popped up in his mind. Despite his admonishment, his brain was happily keeping the image vivid in his mind's eye.

Keitaro put all of his efforts into the cleanup, doing his best to lose himself in the familiarity of the task. He wasn't entirely successful…

To be continued.

Author's Notes: Once again, Random1377 ably served as pre-reader. Forget buying you a beer man, I'm going to owe you a goddamn brewery…


	6. Shouldering

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

C+C is welcome at hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Goddamn QuickEdit…

This story idea was inspired by SimmyC, who graciously allowed me to pick up the ball and run with it.

Thanks Man!

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

Manga continuity, after the "Burn-Up Blade" story line

Love Hina:

Ships in the Night

Chapter Six: Shouldering

Later that evening, Keitaro was in the outdoor bath, staring up at the sky with a folded washcloth on his forehead. The sun hadn't yet gone down, and the sky was brilliant shade of red near the horizon, although there were some ominous looking clouds moving in.

The picture perfect sky was the farthest thing from Keitaro's thoughts however, as he was contemplating his own feelings. It was becoming awkward between him and Tsuruko; or perhaps it was simply becoming MORE awkward. Before he'd left Hinata House, Keitaro had usually thought of Tsuruko at least once a day. Now that he was living with her, he'd been thinking of her far more often, thoughts that both ashamed and intrigued him.

Keitaro did console himself with the fact that many of his thoughts on Tsuruko weren't sexual; during the time since he'd arrived here, he'd noticed that she seemed to be reverting back to her old self. She smiled from time to time, engaged him in conversation when they were together, and today she'd even tried to start him on kendo, with less than spectacular results.

It relieved Keitaro to see that Tsuruko's eyes occasionally exhibited the glint of humor that used to permanently reside there. If he'd been more confident, he might have felt responsible for her gradual 'cheering up,' but he figured it was simply a case of time healing all wounds.

But what bothered the former live-in landlord of Hinata House was the fact that some of his thoughts of Tsuruko were of a baser nature. Objectively, this didn't surprise Keitaro; she'd been his first (and so far only) lover, even if it had only been a one night stand sparked by alcohol and similar feelings of loneliness. 'But it shouldn't have happened!' he silently raged. 'She was married, and I should've known better. I should be trying to forget it, not recalling it fondly…'

He let out a short breath. 'So why did I accept her invitation to stay here?' Keitaro wasn't sure why he'd done that, as moving in with Tsuruko was a case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. But she'd been so insistent, and he'd already done so much to hurt her, he hadn't had the heart to say no.

A flapping of wings and a soft splash interrupted his contemplation. Looking to his left, Keitaro discovered that he had some company in the bath. "Hello Shippu…"

"Ku-e!"

Keitaro chuckled lightly. He had as much ability to understand Tsuruko's bird as he had Tama-chan, but like the flying hot springs turtle, the bird's eyes shone with a greater than expected intelligence. "You the new lifeguard?"

"Ku-e! Ku-e!"

"What's that? Timmy fell down the well again?"

"Ku-e!"

"Sorry Shippu, I couldn't resist that…" Shaking his head at the (possibly) one-sided conversation, Keitaro leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Now I'm talking to a bird…"

Neither party spoke again, and Keitaro continued his soak, feeling the last traces of pain from the mishap in the dojo drain from his body. It was remarkably peaceful in the bath, and it was an unusual thing for Keitaro to be able to relax without fear of being walked in on, or walking in on someone for that matter. 'Not used to bathing without being interrupted,' he realized. 'I could get used-'

At that moment, the unwelcome (but depressingly familiar) sound of someone in the changing room reached his ears. 'Shit! Did I forget to put up the sign?' He quickly mentally rewound his actions, and he realized that he couldn't remember if he had put it up. 'What-what do I do?' Keitaro figured he could try to hide or escape, or he could announce his presence. He ran through both options in less than half a second before choosing the latter. Hiding had never worked at Hinata House, and while calling out to Tsuruko would be embarrassing, it was better than having her walk in on him.

"Tsu-Tsuruko, I'm in the bath. I'm sorry, give me a minute and I'll get out…" Keitaro began walking over to where he'd left his towel, a little uneasy that he hadn't heard Tsuruko reply. "Talk to you later Shippu, I've gotta go," he murmured. The sounds of movement in the changing area hadn't died away, so Keitaro knew Tsuruko was still in there. "Let me know when you're out of there and I'll leave."

Once again, there was no reply, and Keitaro took his towel back to where he'd been when he'd heard the sounds of company and waited. 'She must have been almost undressed,' he realized, coloring at the sudden mental image. 'I'll have to apologize to her for monopolizing the bath like this… I mean, this is HER bath, I shouldn't just-'

Keitaro's thoughts were interrupted by movement at the entrance to the bath. He looked up by reflex, and felt himself go ghostly pale. Tsuruko was standing in the doorway, smiling gently, and wearing a very short silk bathrobe that just reached her upper thighs. While it was tied together with a sash at the waist, from the way it was clinging to her, it was obvious that she wasn't wearing anything underneath it.

For a couple of seconds, Keitaro was unable to do anything but stare at the vision of loveliness that had interrupted his bath, before his crashed higher functions completed their reboot. His eyes slammed shut and he lurched against the far side of the bath, thankful that he was in deep enough water to conceal his body's instinctive reaction to the sight. With his back literally against the wall, Keitaro held up his hands to block his view when he cautiously opened his eyes.

With his hands blocking off the more private areas, Keitaro was still able to see Tsuruko's face, and the soft smile she wore. She seemed completely calm and relaxed and she gestured for Shippu to come to her, which he did, taking flight and landing on her shoulder. Tsuruko stroked Shippu's beak for a few seconds before she cast him off. Taking a step towards the bath, she slowly undid the sash at her waist, and let the robe glide noiselessly off of her shoulders.

Keitaro slowly lowered his arms in shock, unable to comprehend or reconcile what was happening. Mesmerized, like a rat being stalked by a cobra, Keitaro found himself incapable of movement as he watched Tsuruko slowly walking towards him, the water now concealing part of her body, but doing nothing to reduce her ethereal beauty. Keitaro's heart rate had at least tripled, his mouth had gone as dry as late summer cotton, and he idly wondered why he hadn't passed out from the diversion of blood from his brain. Despite his better judgment, his gaze was riveted to Tsuruko, every bit as gorgeous as he remembered.

When Tsuruko placed her fingers on his shoulders, Keitaro let out a shuddering gasp at her silken touch. The contact brought back all of the thoughts and desires he'd worked for months to suppress; his most shameful, but at the same time most treasured memories. His reasoning and restraint short-circuited, and he felt his own longing grow, just as it had that rainy night. Keitaro knew what he was feeling was wrong, but he found himself unable to resist his own hunger; at that moment, he wanted Tsuruko.

Tsuruko's angelically soft lips pressed against his own, and Keitaro responded without hesitation, closing his eyes and opening his mouth, meeting her tongue with his own. His hands went to Tsuruko's waist, his fingertips caressing her smooth skin, slowly stroking upwards towards her wonderfully full breasts. His fingers had just reached the lower edge of her breasts when he felt a sudden sharp pain on his lip.

"Ow!" Keitaro's eyes snapped open, and he found Shippu only a few inches in front of him, looking at him as if he was trying to decide if Keitaro would make a tasty snack. "What the-?" Tsuruko was nowhere to be seen and there was a stinging pain on his lower lip and a coppery taste in his mouth. "A-a dream?"

Keitaro went pale at the realization. He'd fallen asleep in the bath, and he'd had yet another dream, one that had been far, far more realistic than any previous ones. 'It even tasted like her,' he remembered, unconsciously licking his lips. Apparently Shippu had bitten his lower lip while he'd slept, snapping him awake. Keitaro wasn't sure if he wanted to thank the bird, or wring its scrawny little neck.

'This is dangerous. I need to get out of here,' he thought in near panic. He stood up to leave and discovered that his body was still very much interested. Wrapping himself in a towel, embarrassed by the tent he was currently pitching, Keitaro stalked over to the shower and turned on the cold water full blast. "Gah!" The cold water cleared away the last vestiges of his feverish dream, and shocked him into thinking clearly.

Hurrying into the changing area, Keitaro dried off and dressed as fast as he could, desperate to get away from there for a while. His hair was still damp when he exited the changing area, savagely tearing down the sign warning of his presence in the bath. Driven by an almost single-minded purpose to escape, Keitaro almost ran over Tsuruko.

"Keitaro… Is something wrong?" Tsuruko noticed that her houseguest had an almost manic look in his eyes.

Keitaro took a quick look at Tsuruko, as if noticing her for the first time. The vivid and erotic thoughts running through his head were boosted by the sight of the woman of his fantasies in the flesh. He could still remember every inch of her body, including the cute little mole she had on the inside of her upper left leg. Viciously shaking his head to clear the not unpleasant thoughts, he said the first thing that popped it his mind. "No! I-I'm going for a walk…"

Tsuruko's brow furrowed. "A walk?"

"Yeah, a walk," Keitaro snapped. "I need to get outta here…"

"What's wrong Keitaro?" asked Tsuruko, concerned by Keitaro's frantic look.

"Nothing!" If Keitaro had been thinking clearly, he would have winced at his snarl, and at the way Tsuruko recoiled. "I'll be back in a coupla hours," he all but growled, stomping off towards the entrance. At the door he yanked on his shoes, almost tore his jacket pulling it of the hook, and disappeared into the falling night.

About a half hour later, Keitaro had managed to burn off some of his frustration and sexual arousal. 'Dammit, where the hell did that come from?' he wondered. 'I've never had a dream that intense before. Was it because I got hit on the head?' Keitaro had been surprised by its detail, and more than a little aroused. Even now he could feel lingering heat from the dream causing a blush on his cheeks.

When Keitaro felt a drop, he looked up and frowned at the clouds overhead. 'Rain again… Does it follow me, waiting for me to take a walk?' he pondered. Not in the mood to be rained on, Keitaro took shelter in an alcove, watching the rain begin in earnest. He zipped up his jacket a little tighter, the rain cooling the air and giving Keitaro a hint of the chills. 'Just like last November.'

Waiting in the shelter for the rain to let up, Keitaro had the chance to think back on how he'd acted. 'Aw hell, why'd I have to be like that? It wasn't her fault I had that dream… She was worried about me and I bit her head off…' As he recalled his words to Tsuruko, Keitaro felt a sense of shame come over him. 'I'm an asshole. She didn't deserve that… She took me in, and I thank her like that.'

As if agreeing with him, the rain increased its intensity, becoming a strong downpour that reduced the visibility to less than a hundred feet. Keitaro's feeling of shame grew in intensity with the rain, making him feel sick, humiliated by his cruel treatment of Tsuruko. 'She's been through so much, put herself out to help me, and I pay her back by acting like a bastard.' Keitaro leaned against the wall, sighing deeply. 'I've gotta apologize to her…'

Attempting to gather his courage, Keitaro stepped out of his shelter and started the return trip to Tsuruko's home. For once, the weather seemed to favor him, as the rain let up a little as he walked. He spent most of the time trying to figure out what exactly he would say. 'I'll find her, I'll apologize and then beg for forgiveness.' Keitaro nodded at his plan. 'Then I'll thank her for letting me stay with her, but that it's time I moved out. It's getting strange now, I should leave before it gets any worse.'

Keitaro wasn't as enthusiastic about the last thought, but he knew it was the right thing to do. The half mile passed in a heartbeat, and Keitaro took a moment at the front door to recompose himself. 'Walk in and apologize… simple as that.' Stepping inside and hanging up his jacket, Keitaro put on an air of confidence that was only skin deep, and went to find Tsuruko. 'Don't want her to be upset with me, I've already done enough damage…'

Mentally rehearsing his speech, it wasn't until he had almost reached the kitchen that Keitaro registered an alien sound. 'What-what's that noise?' he wondered, continuing to approach the kitchen. 'It almost sounds like…' Keitaro's blood ran cold when he realized why it sounded so familiar. 'Oh no, please, not that…' The sinking feeling that washed over him almost made him stop dead in his tracks, but some deeper feeling compelled him to continue.

Keitaro turned the corner, entered the kitchen, and was very nearly sick at the sight that awaited him. Tsuruko was sitting at the kitchen table, looking through a photo album, and crying. Keitaro's most ardent hope, that he'd misinterpreted the sounds he'd heard coming down the hallway, was blown away as if by the wind. Tsuruko Aoyama, the most seemingly strong, invulnerable person he'd ever known, was sobbing audibly, tears streaming unabashedly down her cheeks.

Keitaro had often wondered how Tsuruko had dealt with all that occurred; he'd speculated on whether or not she'd ever shed tears over the incident, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to picture that, as it seemed completely out of character. But the sight of Tsuruko crying cut Keitaro to his very core, amplifying his inherent shame and self-loathing. 'I did that to her…'

Tsuruko hadn't apparently noticed him, and Keitaro was wondering if he should discretely slip away, when she looked up, and her red-rimmed eyes widened in surprise. For an agonizing moment, neither reacted; Tsuruko too surprised and Keitaro too ashamed. Then Tsuruko put her head down and savagely wiped at her eyes, gritting her teeth to stifle her sobs, but her shoulders still shook despite her efforts.

'This is private, she wants to be left alone. Go away Keitaro. You can't do anything, you caused this remember? Just let her be, that's what she wants.' These thoughts flooded into Keitaro's mind, all saying the same thing. Every instinct and impulse he had was telling him to give Tsuruko her privacy, and pretend that he hadn't seen anything. Keitaro was even dimly aware that his right foot was starting to ease itself off of the floor, preparing to take the first step back.

But through the cacophony of his thoughts, there was one solitary voice of dissention. 'If you leave her like this, if you don't try to help her, then you're the biggest bastard on Earth…' The majority of voices scoffed at that, saying he'd get over his regret, that he'd be able to look at himself in the mirror soon enough, and that he'd only make things worse by trying to help.

With all these thoughts going through his mind, Keitaro came to the only conclusion that was possible. His right foot lifted slowly off the floor…

…and took a small, tentative step towards Tsuruko.

Silencing all of his internal critics, Keitaro forced himself to hear Tsuruko's repressed sobs, using them as a motivation for his actions, which were going against all of his better judgment. 'What-what do I do when I get there?' he desperately asked himself. 'What do I say? How do I start? I mean, she was sitting and looking at that album, and I… Is that her wedding album? God, what am I gonna do?'

Tsuruko appeared to be calming herself down, the tears seemed to have stopped flowing, and she had wiped away their tracks with the sleeve of her gi. It looked to Keitaro that she was trying to pretend that nothing had happened, and that she didn't appear to notice his approach. By the time she took one last calming breath, Keitaro was standing beside her. She glanced up and looked to be surprised to see how close he was to her.

Silently wishing with all his heart that he was doing the right thing, Keitaro gently placed his left hand on Tsuruko's right shoulder. After swallowing to try to moisten his suddenly dry mouth, he softly asked, "Are-are you alright?" He inwardly winced at the poorly phrased question, and hoped that he looked more worried than scared.

Tsuruko's red eyes widened at his tentative question, and a look of profound surprise briefly came over her features. Then, to Keitaro's horrified fascination, her lower lip began to quiver, her eyes once again began to water, and then she suddenly grabbed him around the waist in a vice-like grip, and buried her face in his chest, her shoulders wracked with powerful sobs.

For a second, Keitaro almost gave into the first instinct of trying to break free and run like hell, before he nervously allowed his arms to wrap around Tsuruko in return. Even as he placed his arms around her, Keitaro had to fight off urges to tear himself away and bolt. The same feelings that had welled up in him when Motoko had broken down and cried on his shoulder came back to him. The desire to help was countered by his concern about how intimate comforting her might feel.

Keitaro felt like a complete heel, ashamed that Tsuruko had been reduced to this state, crying uncontrollably into his chest. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Keitaro tried his best to be comforting and consoling, holding her around the shoulders with his left arm, and slowly stroking her hair with his right. He also tried his hardest to not notice just how nice it felt to hold Tsuruko, despite the circumstances. The faint stirrings that he felt humiliated him, and he focused on the sounds of her crying to suppress them, but it was more difficult than he liked. 'Where are those clothespins when I need 'em?' he thought miserably.

Tsuruko continued to cry unabashed for untold minutes, causing Keitaro to shed a few tears of his own. Not knowing what else he could do, he continued to hold her and stroke her hair, feeling her tears create a damp spot on his shirt. Finally Tsuruko began to calm down, much to Keitaro's relief, and she let go of him. Keitaro eased his hands off of her and took a step back, watching as she went about composing herself, and wiping away her tears. Idly, Keitaro wiped away the tears that had slid down his own cheeks, feeling very unsure of what to do next. "Would you like some tea?" he asked nervously. To Keitaro, this seemed the safest thing he could say.

"Yes, thank you," Tsuruko replied softly.

Relieved at having something to do, Keitaro put the kettle on and pulled the necessary sundries out of the cupboard. While waiting for the water to boil, Keitaro took a discrete look at Tsuruko. She had regained her composure for the most part, but the redness in her eyes served to remind him of her breakdown. Keitaro found himself more astonished by the finding Tsuruko crying than the fact that they'd slept together. 'What do I do now?' Keitaro wondered. 'She's stopped crying, but what am I gonna say?' The boiling water interrupted his musings, and he turned off the stove, poured the water into the pot, let it steep for a minute, before he poured it into two mugs and brought them to the table.

"Thank you," Tsuruko nodded gratefully when Keitaro handed her a mug.

Sitting down across the table from Tsuruko, Keitaro took a small sip of his tea, not at all sure what to do next. Apparently Tsuruko felt the same way, as she did nothing to break the silence that now abounded in the kitchen. For a few minutes the only sounds were the two of them sipping at their tea and soft breathing. Finally, Keitaro couldn't take the quiet anymore, so he did what he'd originally planned when he'd returned. "I-I'm sorry…"

Tsuruko paused in her sip and regarded him curiously. "Sorry? For what?"

"For snapping at you in the hall."

"I-I beg your pardon?"

"I was rude to you, you've been nothing but hospitable, and I was rude in return." Keitaro was so wrapped up in making amends that he didn't notice Tsuruko's eyebrows arching up. "I was an asshole, acting like that. I can only hope you'll forgive me for acting like that, and if you want me to leave I will…"

"Keitaro…"

"I've stayed too long anyway, and I should find somewhere else. I don't do enough here, I don't pay enough rent…"

"Keitaro," Tsuruko repeated, a little louder this time.

"I'm just causing you trouble by staying here and reminding you of-"

"Keitaro!"

"What-what is it?" Keitaro looked up in surprise.

Tsuruko let out a breath and shook her head slowly. "This wasn't your fault…"

"But, but you were crying…"

"It wasn't your fault."

"Then, then was it," Keitaro swallowed nervously before continuing. "Your wedding album?" he finished softly.

"Wedding album?"

"Isn't that it?" Keitaro replied, pointing to the book on the table.

"No, it's just a photo album," Tsuruko corrected.

Keitaro felt a strange sense of relief at learning this. "I see… Then, then why…?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

"I was just looking at these photos; it brought back memories, some of them bad." Tsuruko then focused her gaze on Keitaro and her eyes narrowed. "I didn't expect you to be back so soon…"

'I bet…' Trying not to wilt under her scrutiny, Keitaro replied, "I-I felt bad about how I acted. I wanted to apologize. You've had so much to deal with, you didn't need me acting like a jerk…"

"I didn't think you acted that bad."

"I did," Keitaro instantly responded. "I'm sorry."

Tsuruko accepted his apology with a rueful shake of her head. "I shouldn't have broken down looking at a few photos," she murmured.

"What kind of photos?" Keitaro asked before he could stop himself.

Tsuruko looked at him neutrally. "You really want to know?"

"If you don't mind showing me," Keitaro replied, bothered that he was letting his curiosity get the better of him.

Tsuruko smiled thinly. "Then come here," she said, indicating the chair next to her with her eyes, "and I'll show you."

Slowly rising to his feet, Keitaro cautiously walked around the table and took the seat next to Tsuruko, making sure that he sat as far away as he politely could. He took a look at the photos, the scenery strangely familiar to him. "Is that Okinawa?"

"Yes. You've been there?"

"Got washed up there with Naru and Mutsumi."

"Washed up?" Tsuruko replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Our raft got lost at sea," Keitaro stated blandly.

"I see…" Tsuruko didn't, but she decided not to dwell on that. "Toshio and I were there three years ago."

"Enjoy yourselves?"

"We tried to."

"Tried to?" Keitaro repeated, uneasy about the conversation taking a somber turn.

"We thought it might help."

"With what?"

"Children."

"Children?"

"We were trying to start a family; we both figured that a vacation would be less stressful for us."

"I see…"

"It didn't work, but it was a nice trip."

Keitaro was uncomfortable with the question that sprang to his lips, so he tried his best to be somewhat diplomatic. "You-you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, it's none of my business really, I don't even know why I'm even saying this-"

"Why did we need to do that to have a child?" interrupted Tsuruko.

Blushing deeply, and finding the tabletop a fascinating subject for close examination, Keitaro simply replied, "Yes."

"We've never been able to have children."

"W-why?"

"We don't know," Tsuruko replied after a moment of silence. "We've tried; I've gone to different doctors, and they've found nothing wrong, but I've never been able to get pregnant."

"Toshio told me something about that," Keitaro recalled. He flipped a few pages of the album, mostly to keep himself from fidgeting, and also to satisfy his curiosity. "That's a nice shot." The photo had Tsuruko at Kiyomizu Temple if he wasn't mistaken.

"That was about a year ago."

Tsuruko was smiling pleasantly in the photo, but when Keitaro looked closer, he noticed that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. 'What was troubling you?' he asked silently. "Was the difficulty having children what made Toshio…?" Keitaro asked delicately.

"No. It didn't help, but it didn't start there."

"Then why…?" Keitaro was at a loss to understand how anyone could hurt Tsuruko, intentionally or not.

"Ask him. I don't really know… He never saw it as a problem." Tsuruko sighed at the unpleasant memories that were being dredged up. "Maybe he was like that before we were married, but I just didn't notice. Living with someone is different than dating someone, you see everything."

Keitaro found himself nodding at that. Living at Hinata House, he'd seen what all the residents were like, good and bad.

"Toshio would be a little distant at first, but as time passed it started to get worse. We'd talk about it, but he didn't seem to think that it was important, he kind of brushed aside my concerns. I don't think he meant to be hurtful, but it hurt just the same."

The weary look Tsuruko was wearing nearly broke Keitaro's heart. 'How could he not know he was hurting her? Was he blind? Or maybe he just didn't want to know,' he thought, remembering the chat he'd had with Toshio. 'He didn't seem like a bad guy, really, maybe he just didn't know… I'm not that perceptive either. Maybe he just hoped that things would get better on their own?' "More tea?" he asked out loud when he noticed that Tsuruko's mug was empty.

"No thank you," Tsuruko replied. "I think I'm going to turn in early. Thank you for the tea, and thank you again."

"For what?"

"Being there for me," she answered with a faint smile. "For being understanding."

"Uh, you're welcome, I guess," Keitaro stated uncomfortably, uneasy at the notion of being thanked for solving something for which he blamed himself.

"I'm serious Keitaro, I can't recall Toshio trying that hard to be comforting in all the years we've been married."

"You're kidding," Keitaro breathed, taken aback.

"I'm not."

"Happy to help, I suppose," he chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. Keitaro felt some sudden tension in the air, and it was making him uneasy.

"Good night Keitaro," Tsuruko told him with a gentle smile as she walked out of the kitchen. "Pleasant dreams."

"You too Tsuruko," Keitaro responded with a similar expression on his face. Putting the empty mugs in the sink, Keitaro left the kitchen and walked through the light drizzle to his room. Once there, he decided that he was also tired from the emotional roller coaster he'd been riding for some time, and that sleep seemed to be a great idea at the moment.

Keitaro undressed and slipped under the covers of his futon, doused the light, and closed his eyes, letting the soft pitter-patter of the drizzle lull him to sleep. As he drifted off, he noticed that he could almost feel the warmth in his arms where he'd held Tsuruko, and when he finally acquiesced to the welcome oblivion of slumber, he once again dreamed of her. But on this night at least, the images weren't erotic, merely warm and comfortable, and he wore an enigmatic smile while he slept.

XXX

"Sunny side up or over easy?"

"Sunny please."

A couple of weeks had passed since Keitaro had discovered Tsuruko crying when he'd returned from a walk, and had attempted to comfort her. His own instincts had told him to not get involved, but he had ignored them, not being able to accept the idea of letting her be that distraught without attempting to help. Neither of them had mentioned the incident since, as it had been difficult for the both of them, but it had been the genesis of a subtle change in the mood of the Aoyama residence.

The day to day activities hadn't changed; Keitaro still worked around the residence, and Tsuruko continued to work to improve her art, as well as teach some students. There weren't that many students, but Tsuruko had told Keitaro that the school was selective of who it instructed, and that those who were accepted had to well compensate the school, so that many students weren't required.

But the two of them were talking a little more, and a little more openly when they did. It was though the air of depression and guilt was gradually clearing away, allowing some good cheer to reach within the walls of the home.

Keitaro did his chores with a touch more pride, and the home seemed to sparkle as a result. He paid more attention to detail when he cooked, and the results even surprised him; while still inferior to Shinobu's in his opinion, it was still a quantum leap from his previous efforts. For the first time since he'd arrived, Keitaro actually felt comfortable staying there, even going as far as to watch Tsuruko train in the morning a few times, although he still hadn't tried to learn kendo since the one abortive attempt.

'I guess I'm finally getting settled in,' Keitaro told himself as he kept one eye on the eggs. 'But I'm not supposed to be staying here indefinitely, am I? No, I-I need to leave here, I need to move…' Objectively, Keitaro knew what he should do. But anytime he considered the issue, he would find that he just wasn't able to bring himself to do it.

Setting these thoughts aside, Keitaro finished preparing breakfast, plated it, and brought it to the table, handing one plate to Tsuruko, who accepted it with a warm smile. 'She's smiling more now,' he noted. 'I think I am too.' While he didn't object to the way things were currently going, he did wonder when the other shoe was going to drop.

Eating in an uncustomary silence, the two of them finished their breakfast, seemingly both lost in thought. Keitaro picked up his empty plate and utensils, taking them to the sink when the quiet was broken. "Keitaro, how much of Kyoto have you seen?"

"I saw some of it from the air the last time I was here," he replied off-handedly. "I've only been here once before that. Did a little sightseeing, but I spent a lot of time trying to hide."

"Hide?"

Keitaro's eyes took on a distant look as he recalled the first time he'd come to Kyoto. "It was over a year ago. Naru and I had both just failed the Tokyo University entrance exam, her first failure, my third." He unconsciously grimaced at the memory. "We'd had a bit of a falling out, so I decided to go on a trip, and Kyoto seemed a good place to start. Well, Naru had the same idea, and we kept running into each other."

"Just a coincidence?"

"No. We both followed the same guide book, and we ended up at the same attractions at the same time. We even ended up at the same inn, and the same mixed bath!" Keitaro added, exasperated.

Tsuruko felt herself smile, and a brief snicker escaped her lips. The look of indignation this caused Keitaro made her snicker even more, her laughter growing despite her efforts to suppress it, her shoulders shaking with barely controlled mirth.

Tsuruko's laughter was contagious, and Keitaro found himself smiling in spite of himself. He started to chuckle, the more humorous aspects of the experience becoming clearer with time. Grinning now, Keitaro continued his tale. "It gets better. The hotel owner saw we had the same address and put us in the same room to save space." He shook his head in amusement. "She even gave us a special newlyweds meal." By now, even Keitaro was having difficulty keeping a straight face.

Tsuruko by now had quit trying to maintain her composure, and was laughing openly at Keitaro's recollections. "It wasn't that funny!" he protested, his smile giving lie to that statement. When her laughter only increased at his remark, he added, "Okay, maybe it was, but you don't have to enjoy it that much."

Resigning himself to be unable to talk to Tsuruko until her amusement passed, Keitaro took a moment to discretely observe her. 'That's the type of behavior I'd expect from Tsuruko,' Keitaro decided. 'She was always smiling at something. A face that lovely should be smiling, sadness doesn't suit it at all… I think I've been smiling more myself, and I haven't had a good laugh in some time either.' The thought made Keitaro smile, even as he realized on some level that his current train of thought was probably unwise.

After a minute or so, Tsuruko finally calmed down enough to regain her composure, although the glint of humor in her eye was unmistakable. "So you haven't seen much of Kyoto then?" she asked.

"Not really…"

"Well then, why don't we do a little sightseeing today?"

"Sightseeing?" Keitaro repeated after a second or two of surprised silence.

"Yes, sightseeing. You've been here over two months, and you haven't taken any time to really explore Kyoto," Tsuruko reminded him.

'She's right, I haven't really been anywhere,' he admitted to himself, 'but…' "Why would you do that?"

"Call it payback for all the help you've given me here."

Keitaro debated his decision for a minute. 'Might be nice to see Kiyomizu Temple again, I was only there for a few minutes last time. But is this a good idea, going out with Tsuruko? But it isn't a date… is it? No, it's probably innocent. I'm a pervert, thinking about that right now.' Feeling somewhat confident in his reasoning, Keitaro responded with, "Sure, let's go."

"Great. When will you be ready?"

"Give me a half hour to finish up here."

"Then we'll leave in thirty."

Keitaro nodded at that and went back to cleaning up the kitchen, idly humming a tuneless melody as he worked. When he finished, he returned to his room to change his shirt, which he'd gotten wet with dishwater. Grabbing another relatively plain shirt, he put it on and walked to the house. 'No point dressing up, after all, this ISN'T a date,' he reminded himself.

Sure enough, when Tsuruko came down the stairs, she was wearing the same outfit, causing Keitaro to idly wonder if she even owned any other clothes. 'Even in that photo album, that's all she ever wore…'

The two of them walked through the main gate and made their way to a trolley stop in silence. After a few minutes a trolley pulled up and Keitaro and Tsuruko boarded, Tsuruko taking a window seat while Keitaro elected to stand. The trip itself was uneventful, although from his vantage point Keitaro couldn't help but noticing the appraising looks Tsuruko was receiving. 'No surprise there,' he figured. 'She IS gorgeous…'

Upon finally reaching the stop for Kiyomizu Temple, the two of them went with the crowd, leaving the trolley and walking up the slight incline towards the temple. 'I remember that restaurant,' Keitaro noted, 'and that photo booth, I took pictures there.' He found it funny just how much he recalled from his first trip to Kyoto, as the two of them made their way to the temple, blending into the crowd.

"Kiyomizu stage," Tsuruko spoke up suddenly. "The famous jumping off point."

Keitaro walked up to the edge and looked over the railing. "No way I'm jumping off this thing," he replied. 'I might survive it though, I have gone over a cliff once or twice before…'

"Quite a drop isn't it?" remarked Tsuruko.

"Yeah…"

Tsuruko smiled and then gestured to Kiyomizu Temple behind her. "Well, what do you think?"

Before Keitaro could answer, a soft breeze came along, stirring up all loose objects. It also caused Tsuruko's hair to billow out behind her. The look this created was the kind of image that film directors could spend an entire career attempting to capture, but almost never succeed. With her wind swept hair, and in front of Kiyomizu Temple, Tsuruko looked almost unearthly, and Keitaro was sure he felt a blush rising to his cheeks and his heart rate rising. When he finally regained his voice after a few moments, only one word came to mind. "Magnificent," he breathed softly, unsure if he meant the temple or his guide.

The word worked just as well for either…

Apparently unaware of just how beautiful she looked at the moment, Tsuruko gestured for Keitaro to follow her. Shaking his head to clear away any inappropriate thoughts, he slowly followed after her as she walked. "Where-where to now?" Keitaro asked hesitantly.

"Jiji Shrine," replied Tsuruko.

"Jiji Shrine… I don't think I saw that the last time…"

"Oh? Why not?"

"Ran into Naru," Keitaro answered truthfully. "What's at Jiji Shrine?"

"Otowa Waterfall. Depending what you drink from, you'll gain health, wisdom, or true love," Tsuruko explained.

"Does it work?" asked Keitaro.

"Depends who you ask," Tsuruko answered, as she lead Keitaro down the stone path.

Keitaro nodded at that as the two of them walked. 'It's a nice day for this,' he thought idly. The sun was shining bright in the sky and there wasn't a cloud in sight, not even any wispy cirrus clouds. It was as nice a day as Keitaro could remember in a long time, and he decided that he wasn't going to let it go to waste. "Is that it?"

Tsuruko nodded in reply. "So Keitaro, what will you wish for?" she inquired.

"Which is what?"

Tsuruko chuckled. "Why not try all three?"

"Why push my luck?"

"From the left," she pointed up from near the collecting pool. "Health, wisdom, and true love."

"Health, wisdom, love," Keitaro repeated to himself as he walked up the steps to collect a cup. 'Which one? Health? Nah, I'm in pretty good shape,' he reasoned. 'True love?' He glanced back at Tsuruko, who was coming up the steps as well. 'Bad idea… Wisdom then… Maybe it'll help me figure out how to deal with this…' With a sigh, Keitaro held his cup under the middle stream, filled it, and drank it down. "Don't feel any smarter," he remarked.

"And I don't feel any healthier," Tsuruko replied, finishing her cup from the first stream. "But it's not supposed to work instantly."

"I know. Be nice if it did though…"

"That's true…"

"You hungry? I mean, you're showing me around, I should at least buy lunch…"

"You don't have to…"

"Please, I insist."

"Very well. But you choose the place."

"What's good around here?"

"Any small shop will do."

"Lead on then," Keitaro stated, and followed Tsuruko to a small outdoor café.

They took a seat and Tsuruko ordered sakura-mochi with green tea. Keitaro asked for the same, and the two of them sat back and watched other people walking by. There were quite a few school groups touring the shrine that day, and the sight of the young children made Keitaro feel sentimental. He smiled wistfully at the sight of a group of school girls tearing around the grounds excitedly, while their frazzled looking teacher tried to restore order.

"What are you thinking Keitaro?"

"Just remembering my younger days…"

"If you're old, what does that make me?" Tsuruko asked neutrally.

For once, Keitaro was able to detect the danger beforehand, and took steps to disarm it. "You're not old, not at all." Noticing that Tsuruko's expression hadn't changed, Keitaro tried to go on the offensive. "But how could you remember being in junior high?" Keitaro asked. "That must have been five or six years ago…"

For a second or two, Tsuruko stared at Keitaro in abject disbelief, before she laughed out loud, his quip striking her as hilarious. She continued to laugh unrestrained for a few seconds, before she tried to rein herself in, Keitaro silently relieved that the tension had been disrupted. 'She's kinda cute when she laughs…' he found himself noticing, before he stomped on that thought.

'I shouldn't be thinking like this,' Keitaro admonished himself. 'I shouldn't be wondering about holding her again. She's still married, even if Toshio hasn't come back.' As much as Keitaro wished it wasn't so, his attraction to Tsuruko had grown stronger. 'Living with her wasn't the best way to get over her,' he acknowledged. 'Am I falling for her?' he asked himself. He found that he honestly wasn't sure. 'What does she think of me?'

His face not betraying any of the turmoil he was feeling, Keitaro took a sip of his tea, trying to keep his focus. 'I'm going to have to deal with this,' he reasoned. 'But not now. Not today. I'll enjoy the moment, and deal with this later,' he decided.

The two of them finished their light lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon looking around Kiyomizu temple. 'Magnificent,' Keitaro realized, was greatly understating things. The sheer size and scope of the temple, along with its age, and the fact that it had been built without the benefit of modern machinery, were almost beyond his ability to comprehend. The photos he'd seen when he was younger and his earlier brief visit hadn't allowed him to truly grasp the majesty and splendor of Kiyomizu Temple.

The afternoon passed surprisingly fast as Tsuruko showed Keitaro all that there was to see, and the sun was in the last quarter of its trip across the sky. Back at Kiyomizu Stage, Keitaro took another look at the main temple in the early evening light; the long shadows the low sun created a striking image that made Keitaro wish he'd thought to bring a camera. "Thank you, this was nice today," Keitaro said after a comfortable silence while observing the temple.

"It was nothing," Tsuruko replied dismissively. "After all you've done, it was the least I could do."

"You're being generous," responded Keitaro.

"If you say so. Should we go home?"

"I just wanna look over the stage one more time, okay?"

"No problem, the view is nice this time of day."

Keitaro walked over to the edge, placing his hands on the railing and studied the spreading vista before him. 'Wow,' he thought. 'She's right, this is some view.' He noticed Tsuruko come up along side him. "It's breathtaking…" Keitaro saw her nod in agreement and then turn to take in the view as well.

However, all thoughts of the spectacular scenery were driven from his mind when Tsuruko placed her hands on the railing, and whether by chance or by design, the little finger of her right hand came into contact with the little finger of his left. Keitaro's breath caught in is throat; the contact, while minor, was electric. He wasn't sure if Tsuruko noticed the contact, but he figured he noticed it enough for the both of them.

Keitaro felt no urge to yank his hand away, and he figured it would be rude to do so, so he waited for Tsuruko to realize what she was doing and pull away herself. After a couple of seconds, Keitaro realized that either Tsuruko didn't notice, or if she did, she didn't care. He felt his heart rate rising again as he considered this possibility. 'This is inappropriate, I REALLY shouldn't be touching her like this, I should move…'

He didn't move.

After nearly a minute, of which Keitaro would be able to recall nothing other than the sensation of Tsuruko's finger gently touching his own, Tsuruko let go of the railing and stepped back, breaking the contact and allowing his thoughts regain some coherency. "I think it's time we left, it's going to be dark soon," she commented.

"Yeah," Keitaro answered softly, trying to work some moisture back into his dry mouth.

"Is there any other place you need to go?" Tsuruko appeared to be completely unaffected by the contact, or she was simply able to conceal it well.

"Groceries," Keitaro nearly rasped.

"Groceries?"

"I-I need some ingredients for tonight's dinner," Keitaro clarified, his mental processes returning to normal.

Tsuruko smiled at him. "Then we'll pick them up on the way home."

Keitaro nodded stiffly at that, and his confused mind was able to convince his body to fall into step with Tsuruko. The two of them made their way back to the trolley car stop and boarded one heading back in the direction of Tsuruko's home. The number of people on the car meant they both had to stand, and neither spoke during the journey, Tsuruko apparently comfortable with the silence, while Keitaro tried vainly to sort out the confusing swirl of emotions going through his head.

Tsuruko and Keitaro got off the trolley a couple of stops early so Keitaro would be able to pick up the groceries that he'd said he needed. In the store, the two of them talked about the day they'd just had, while Keitaro tried to remind himself to not let himself get in any deeper than he already was. When he'd picked up what he wanted, he paid for the groceries and he and Tsuruko walked the remaining distance home, continuing with the small talk.

When they finally walked through the main gate, Tsuruko turned to Keitaro and said, "I've got to check on something in the dojo, will you be able to handle those groceries by yourself?"

"Sure, no problem," Keitaro reassured her. "Give me a few minutes to put things away, and I'll start on dinner."

"Would you like me to help?"

"Thanks, but no, I can handle it."

"Very well. See you later Keitaro." Tsuruko took her leave, flashing him a smile before she left.

"Later," Keitaro replied softly, before picking up Tsuruko's grocery bags and hefting them into the house. 'That was fun today,' he mused silently, as he carried the bags down the hall towards the kitchen. 'But are we getting TOO comfortable with each other? I mean, I nearly had a stroke when our fingers touched, but she seemed fine with it. She had to notice, didn't she?' Keitaro let out another sigh. 'We need to talk, before things get out of hand.' With this thought, Keitaro entered the kitchen, idly placing the bags on the counter, unpacking them when he happened to glance up…

…and felt his heart turn to ice in mid-beat, and a sudden powerful urge to void his bladder gripped him, which he very nearly gave in to.

Sitting at the kitchen table, calmly sipping tea, was Toshio.

To Be Concluded.

Author's Notes: Random1377 pre-read again. Somehow, between going to university, working, pre-reading my crap, and riding shotgun on other works, he finds the time to post stories that consistently own.

How does he do it?


	7. Maelstrom

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

C+C is welcome at hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Goddamn QuickEdit…

This story idea was inspired by SimmyC, who graciously allowed me to pick up the ball and run with it.

Thanks Man!

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

Manga continuity, after the "Burn-Up Blade" story line

Love Hina:

Ships in the Night

Chapter Seven: Maelstrom

Keitaro had experienced a silence this awful once before, and like that one, Toshio was the main reason. Keitaro stared at Toshio in absolute shock, riveted to the spot by fear. The icy hand that gripped his insides only tightened when Toshio raised his eyes and locked his gaze onto Keitaro.

Defying all of Keitaro's expectations, and fears, Toshio didn't leap up and attack him in a rage, he merely stayed where he was, placidly sipping his tea. The only sign he gave that he even noticed Keitaro was the raising of one eyebrow. Toshio took another sip from his mug and set it on the table. "Hello Keitaro…"

Keitaro was only able to produce some strangled sounds in reply, before he regained control of his mouth. "Wh-what are you doing here?" he stammered.

"That's my line," Toshio deadpanned. "This is… unexpected. Thought I might surprise Tsuruko, coming back like this. Can't say that I expected to see you though…"

Keitaro felt himself start to tremble, his fear of Toshio growing with every second. It was the man's sense of unnatural calm that unnerved him the most. If he'd gone ballistic, screaming and swearing, and gesticulating wildly, Keitaro would have felt oddly reassured. That would have seemed to be the normal reaction of a husband coming home and finding the man his wife had slept with bringing groceries into the kitchen.

But Keitaro had firsthand experience with Toshio's temper, and he knew that the calm façade of impassiveness masked a rage capable of inflicting much damage; the rather off-hand way he had shattered Keitaro's existence at Hinata House still stung in his mind. He figured it was just a matter of time before Toshio made his move.

"How long?"

Keitaro blinked, having been so wrapped up in panicked thoughts that he'd almost missed the question. "Pardon me?" he asked faintly.

"How long?"

"How long what?"

Toshio's lips tightened faintly, the only sign of his annoyance. "How long have you been here?"

For a second, Keitaro considered lying to Toshio, and saying that he'd just met up with Tsuruko and offered to carry her groceries for her, but deep down he knew Toshio wouldn't buy it. "Over two months…" he murmured softly.

Toshio's only reaction was both of his eyebrows going up. "Two months?" When Keitaro nodded faintly, a thoughtful look came over Toshio's face. "That's not too long after I left," he murmured, more to himself than Keitaro. He then calmly took a sip of his tea, seemingly oblivious to Keitaro's state of near panic.

For his part, Keitaro stood rooted to the spot, the forgotten groceries warming up on the counter. Trying to stop his nervous trembling, and casting surreptitious glances at the hallway, he weighed his options. 'Run for it?' he wondered, gauging the distance to the door. 'But what about Tsuruko?'

'She can take care of herself, remember?' his survival instincts reminded him. 'Why didn't you leave earlier, you knew he was gonna come back, right?'

As Keitaro was having his internal argument, the last part of the equation came into play. "Keitaro," Tsuruko called out as she walked into the kitchen, "are you sure…you…don't…" Her words died off as she finally noticed her husband sitting at the table. "Toshio…"

"Hello Tsuruko," Toshio replied softly. "It's been a while…"

"It has…" she answered quietly.

"I thought about calling first," Toshio continued evenly. "But I figured I'd try to surprise you. But this isn't the quite the surprise I intended…" He looked over at Keitaro, who flinched instinctively. "I'm a little curious why he's here…" Toshio finished calmly.

"I invited him," Tsuruko answered before Keitaro could open his mouth.

"I figured that much, though I didn't think he'd just make himself at home…"

"He didn't have a home anymore, remember?"

"I see," Toshio replied. He turned to Keitaro. "Things didn't go too well at Hinata House?"

Unable to look Toshio straight in the eye, Keitaro whispered, "No…"

Toshio sighed and his shoulders slumped a little. "That was kinda cold of me, wasn't it…"

"It was," answered Tsuruko, with a hint of coldness in her voice. "Even after I asked you to not do anything."

"I know," Toshio replied softly. "I was too upset to care, and I'm sorry." He chuckled mirthlessly. "It's a little late, but I'm sorry I burned your bridges Keitaro. I was upset, but that's no excuse."

"…sorry?" Keitaro repeated incredulously.

"I'm sure it sounds hollow, but I shouldn't have sandbagged you like that. I guess I just wanted to share the pain." He took a moment to study Keitaro. "Looks like it worked…"

Thinking back to the day Toshio had arrived, and the misery that had followed, Keitaro could only offer a faint, "Yeah…"

A look that resembled regret came over Toshio's features, and for a few moments no one spoke, each of them in deep thought. "I'm still not sure how you ended up here, though," Toshio commented after some contemplation.

"I met him in a park in the rain."

"Deja-vu, huh?" Toshio interrupted, before he shook his head and let out a deep breath. "Sorry, that was petty. Go on…"

"It was after I left Hinata House," Keitaro continued, not wishing to merely be a spectator in the proceedings. "I arranged to have someone take over my duties there and I left. I was just wandering around, trying to think of what to do, when she found me."

Toshio turned to look at his wife. "You were in Hinata?" When she nodded, he asked, "Why?"

"You'd been gone for some time, and I was worried about what Keitaro was going through," Tsuruko responded. "When I arrived, Motoko called me and said that Keitaro had left. I was wandering randomly, and we just happened to encounter each other."

Toshio regarded Tsuruko carefully for a few moments before commenting, "You know, I believe you. You never were one to lie, or make up excuses… But why'd you take him in?"

"Don't you remember? He didn't have a home anymore," Tsuruko replied, disapproval manifest in her voice.

Toshio grimaced at the most recent reminder. "I know, but you thought it was a good idea to let him move in with you?"

Tsuruko spared a glance in Keitaro's direction. "It seemed the only decent thing to do, or should I have left him like that?"

"I didn't move in with her," Keitaro interjected suddenly.

Toshio gave him a hard look. "You're living here, aren't you?"

Keitaro winced at the glare. "Not in the house, next to the dojo."

"You mean the students quarters?"

"Yes. I asked to stay in a guest area, and I've been paying rent and doing chores," Keitaro added.

"Chores?" Toshio looked at Keitaro skeptically.

"Yes, chores. I keep the house clean, I cook, and I work on upkeep of the grounds." Keitaro was struggling to keep the tremor out of his voice as he spoke. "I wasn't go-going to just move in here, I was just trying to be useful, I was a caretaker at Hinata house, and I know how to look after things, and, and it was one of the conditions I insisted on before I accepted her offer."

"How thoughtful of you," Toshio replied blandly.

"There was one last condition, remember Tsu- Aoyama-san? I'll be out of here in fifteen, no, make that ten minutes."

"Excuse me?" Tsuruko replied, a confused look marring her lovely features.

"The last condition? It's happened," Keitaro remarked, gesturing to Toshio with his head. Keitaro took a deep breath, and for the first time, lied. "I've been setting up a place of my own for sometime now; it wasn't easy finding a place I could afford. I was going to leave at the end of the week, but a few days early won't matter."

"You were planning on leaving?" Tsuruko asked faintly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Was going to tell you over dinner tonight," Keitaro remarked casually. "I've been here long enough, and I've obviously worn out my welcome. What can I say? It's time to go…" He said that last bit with his back turned, putting away the groceries, so neither Tsuruko or Toshio would see the pained look on his face. Taking a deep breath to regain his focus, and compose his features into something approaching casual ease, Keitaro turned back towards the Aoyamas. He then bowed at the waist and spoke formally. "Aoyama-san, I thank you for your hospitality and your generosity. I will always appreciate it." Relaxing a little, Keitaro added, "Lemme go get my things and I'll be outta here in ten minutes." He turned to Tsuruko's husband and nodded politely. "Toshio."

"Keitaro," he responded in kind, eyeing him with a thoughtful look.

Keitaro gave Tsuruko one last look, before he nodded, and took his leave, heading upstairs to retrieve his laundry. Nothing was said after his exit until Toshio took a long look at his wife and said, "Tsuruko… I-I think we need to talk…"

"Not now Toshio…"

"Please, Tsuruko…" Toshio replied, sounding surprisingly weary. "Hear me out…"

XXX

'Laundry. Gotta get my laundry,' Keitaro thought to himself. 'Doubt Toshio would be happy finding my underwear in the hamper… No-no-no, not good, not good at all. Gotta vanish, can't leave anything behind…' This thought coursed through his mind as he opened the hamper and began unceremoniously rooting through it for his clothes, taking care not to miss anything.

Keitaro paused, blinking to clear away the mild burning he felt in his eyes. "Shoulda put an air-freshener in here, this is making my eyes water," he muttered under his breath as he continued to ransack the hamper. After a few minutes of careful searching, Keitaro was satisfied that he'd collected all of his dirty laundry. He tied the sleeves of his 'Bounty Hunter' sweatshirt together, shoved the rest of his dirty clothes into it and carried the makeshift sack out of the laundry room.

After a brief stop in the washroom, he stopped in the hallway to take a breath and collect himself. His psyche chose that moment to start tormenting him. 'What did you expect, that Toshio'd never come back? You're an idiot for even considering that… And even if he didn't, you think that Tsuruko'd be interested in you? Bah. The only reason she was with you is because she was drunk out of her mind.'

Keitaro harshly wiped at his eyes, determined to not let his emotions betray him, but he found that he couldn't argue with himself, and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to.

'Yeah, you're a great catch Keitaro,' the voice taunted him. 'Betrayed everyone you cared for, dropped out of school, then you up and left everyone behind, and ended up here, and you've been sniffing up Tsuruko's hakama since you arrived…'

"No…" Keitaro rasped. "That's not why I'm here, I didn't come to be with her…"

'Maybe you didn't plan on it, but you've sure as hell thought about haven't you? What were all those stains in your underwear?'

Flinching at the internal rebuke, Keitaro resumed his journey to his room, using the back staircase to avoid the kitchen, and moving even quicker than he needed to, practically in a dead run, desperate to escape. He figured he could stay in a hotel for a few days while he found a place to move into. "Shoulda done something about this earlier," he murmured.

Keitaro was only dimly aware of his surroundings as he exited the house and crossed the yard, heading for what had been his home for the past couple of months. Memories of the times he'd spent here flashed through his mind, images flashing by like film projector on amphetamines. Tsuruko smiling at the dinner table, demonstrating perfection in the dojo, and the various, innocuous conversations they'd had together. But for Keitaro, two memories stood out above all the others; coming home and discovering a sobbing Tsuruko, and the feel of her in his arms when she cried openly onto his chest. And this afternoon, when her little finger had touched his, the electricity of the contact causing his mental processes to short circuit.

Upon reaching his room, Keitaro quickly, and without ceremony, began shoving his few possessions into his backpack and duffel bag, not taking the time to fold them. Stuffing his bags to practically their breaking point, Keitaro tried to pretend that he was glad that Toshio had finally returned. "Guy finally came to his senses and came back," he said to himself. "I mean, what took him so long, did he expect Tsuruko to wait forever? You don't make a woman that wonderful wait for you, you hold on and never let her go…"

Keitaro stopped his packing in mid-cram, surprised by that last comment. He then shook his head quickly to clear away the disturbing, but not unpleasant, thoughts he was having. "I haven't fallen for her," he told himself, resuming his hasty efforts at packing. "I haven't. Sure, we talked, but she was just lonely, and Toshio wasn't here. Having feelings for her would be inappropriate, and wrong."

'That didn't stop you last November…' his psyche chimed in.

"That was a mistake!" he snarled. If he'd been in a clearer state of mind, Keitaro might have been concerned that he was holding a conversation with himself. "We were both loaded, and I let myself get carried away. If either of us had been thinking rationally, it wouldn't have happened." Keitaro took a deep calming breath as he finished shoving his things into his two bags. "It'd be better off if it hadn't happened, then I wouldn't be feeling like this…"

Not wanting to dwell on that last thought, or it's implications, Keitaro took a last look around the room. Except for his cell phone, which was sitting next to his pillow, and his jacket, which was hung up at the main door, all of Keitaro's worldly possessions were inside the two bags, both of them straining to contain their poorly packed loads. 'Not much to show for all this time, huh?' he thought, echoing a similar musing he'd had when he left Hinata House. 'I've heard of traveling light, but this is ridiculous…'

Keitaro stooped down and picked up his cell phone, slipping it into his pocket. "I guess this is it…" he murmured softly. He shouldered his backpack and picked up his duffel bag, and was giving the room one last, long look of farewell, when the door opened behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and found Tsuruko standing in the doorway. "I'm done in here Tsuruko," he told her. "I just gotta grab my jacket from the front door and then I'll be outta here. Just gimme a second or two…"

"What are you doing Keitaro?" Tsuruko asked him evenly.

"Isn't it obvious?" he replied glibly, forcing his voice to stay even.

"Obvious?"

"Yeah, obvious," Keitaro confirmed. "You remember what I said when you invited me, right?" When Tsuruko nodded slowly, Keitaro continued. "Toshio's back, and I'm gone. Period." He turned his gaze forward again, ostensibly to look at the room, but he was actually finding it difficult to look Tsuruko in the eyes. "I wonder what took him so long…" he added under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I was just wondering what took Toshio so long to come back," Keitaro clarified, embarrassed that he'd accidentally said that out loud. 'Doesn't matter I suppose, I'm leaving anyway…' "Anyway, I'm-I'm glad to see that everything's going to work out between you two," he continued with forced cheer, curling his lips up in an attempt to smile. He cast his eyes about the room, looking everywhere except at Tsuruko. "You two didn't deserve to have me ruin things between you, after all. You're a wonderful woman, and Toshio must have finally realized this and…"

Keitaro realized that he was practically babbling, and that if he didn't get out of here now, he'd say something he'd end up regretting. "I-I've got my things ready, and it's time for me to go. Thank you for your hospitality, and I'm sorry that I was burden for so long."

"Keitaro, wait…"

"I can't wait Tsuruko, I've got to get to my new place. Besides, I said I'd be gone in ten minutes, and I don't want to be a liar..."

"Keitaro, please listen…"

"No-no-no, there's nothing to say now. I've got to go, don't want to upset Toshio again, I've already caused you two enough pain." Keitaro adjusted the load on his backpack and tightened his grip on his duffel bag. "Take care Tsuruko…"

"Keitaro…" Tsuruko called out with some urgency.

Keitaro was beyond hearing. "Give my regards and apologies to Toshio," he added, before he turned his back on Tsuruko, more to keep his own feeling private than to snub her. With an internal sigh, Keitaro reached for the latch on the sliding door…

…and for the second time in less than fifteen minutes, felt his heart stop. With a solid -THUNK!- a knife embedded itself into the door frame, effectively nailing the door shut, and missing Keitaro's fingers by a few millimeters.

Keitaro felt himself go ashen with fright, and he was sure that his hair had to be standing straight up like in a cartoon. A detached portion of his mind patted him on the back for using the bathroom after he'd emptied the laundry hamper. The shaking in his hand caused his fingers to brush up against the cold, razor sharp steel of the knife.

With terror induced slowness, Keitaro turned around and saw Tsuruko with her left arm extended, and a scowl on her features. She took a breath to calm herself and lowered her arm, her facial expression losing its harshness. "Sorry Keitaro," she apologized, "but you didn't seem to want to listen to me…"

"I'm listening," Keitaro squeaked faintly, afraid of further provoking Tsuruko.

"Why are you so eager to leave?" Tsuruko asked. "Wait," she immediately added before Keitaro could reply. "You're keeping your word," she realized. "That's fair enough, but, but do you know what happened after you left the kitchen?"

Making an effort to not stare at the knife embedded in the door frame, Keitaro replied, "No, I didn't hear, but isn't it obvious?"

"What's 'obvious'?"

Keitaro let out a brief snort, almost resembling a bitter chuckle. "Toshio fought his demons, realized what a prick he was for hurting you, and came back, promising he'd changed his ways and begged for your forgiveness…"

"Why do you think that?" Tsuruko wondered.

"It's what I would have done…" Keitaro instantly replied.

Tsuruko blinked at that and regarded Keitaro closely. Keitaro couldn't meet her eyes, as he was afraid that the look on his face would betray him. 'I have to go,' he thought desperately to himself. 'Please don't make this any harder Tsuruko…' Keitaro pleaded silently, eyeing the door. He'd never be able to pull that knife free and get the door open to leave; he was trapped, forced to keep his feelings on a tight leash.

"What do you feel about all this?" Tsuruko asked softly.

"Doesn't matter…"

"Oh? Why not?"

"I'm the guy who caused all this, remember? I'm the odd man out, what I feel isn't important…" Keitaro took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "Would-would you mind letting me go please?"

"Very well… But before I do, I want you to tell me exactly how you feel about this… Truthfully…"

"I-I've never had-"

"Have you really set up somewhere else to go?" Tsuruko interrupted.

Her intense gaze incinerated any compulsions Keitaro might have had for deception. "No… I haven't…"

"Then why-"

"Didn't want to upset Toshio," Keitaro replied. "I've already done enough to piss him off, why throw more gas on the fire, especially now? He's back, and the two of you can put your lives back together. I don't want to jeopardize that…"

"I still need to know how you feel…" Tsuruko insisted.

"You won't like it," Keitaro warned. "I'm not proud of it either…"

"Tell me."

Keitaro closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. 'Well, you asked for it… Why couldn't you have just let me go…' he opened his eyes and locked his gaze upon Tsuruko, idly wondering what his face looked like. "I'm not happy about it," he stated, surprised by how openly he'd said that. "I-I think I've started to care for you, but I shouldn't! I don't deserve to feel anything, I should be relieved that Toshio came to his senses and came back."

"Why?"

Keitaro looked at Tsuruko as if she'd gone mad. "You're married! He loves you, you love him, you even told me he was a wonderful man, remember? And I ruined that because I got drunk and lonely one night and couldn't keep it in my goddamn pants! You have a chance to start over with him, and you should be marching me out of here at sword-point, not asking me how I feel!"

"Why are you being so harsh on yourself?" Tsuruko asked softly.

"Because I deserve it!"

"Why?"

Keitaro felt like tearing out his hair in frustration. "I'm a washed up Tokyo University drop-out, who's an absentee landlord with no real prospects. I ruined a good marriage, several friendships, and destroyed the trust others had in me because I foolishly lost control! I've caused so much trouble for everyone, that the best thing I can do is leave before I do anymore harm…" By now Keitaro could feel his eyes start to sting, and he blinked harshly, determined to maintain his dignity, if nothing else.

Tsuruko listened as Keitaro gave voice to all of the guilt and shame and regret that he'd been suppressing for months. "You… care for me?" she asked gently after a few moments.

Keitaro's shoulders slumped in defeat. 'I shouldn't have said anything,' he thought miserably. 'I couldn't even make a clean break; I've got to get out of here…' Unable to keep looking at Tsuruko, Keitaro lowered his eyes as he spoke. "I've come to care for you, worry about how you were feeling, and I've been relieved to see you acting more like you used to. I shouldn't have let myself feel like this, I should have done the right thing and left, but I didn't. Now, because I screwed up, it's going to be even harder to do the right thing."

"What's the right thing?"

"Leave," Keitaro replied. "Let you have your life with Toshio back, and just move on…" Keitaro hadn't felt as miserable since he'd left Hinata House, and if he didn't get a chance to be alone and deal with his thoughts and feelings, he'd probably end up bawling like a child. He was so wrapped up in maintaining his self control, that he didn't notice that Tsuruko had moved until he felt her right hand on his left cheek.

Surprised, Keitaro nearly jumped out of his skin at the contact, and looked up at Tsuruko, an astonished look on his face, as a detached part of his mind noticed how gentle her touch was.

"Why are you so sure you have to leave?" Tsuruko asked in a voice scarcely over a whisper.

It took Keitaro a couple of tries to get his mouth to work. "To-Toshio's come back…" he stammered. "I-I promised I'd leave if that happened…"

Tsuruko lowered her head and shook it. "That's right, you weren't there," she said, more to herself than to him. "Yes, he came back, but… What do you think he said?"

"What I would have said, 'I'm sorry, please forgive me…'"

"Well. You're half-right," replied Tsuruko. "He told me that he'd spent most of the time away thinking about how he'd acted, and what he'd done. He said he didn't like how he'd behaved, and mentioned something about how you'd know what he meant…"

"Yeah, he mentioned that when we met last time…"

"He said he loved me…"

Keitaro flinched inwardly. "Never said he was dumb," he murmured almost silently.

"He said he never meant to hurt me…"

"I believe him," Keitaro replied honestly.

"So do I…"

"Yeah… But what do you mean I was 'half-right'?"

After a moments contemplation, Tsuruko clarified. "Actually, you were all right, he did ask for forgiveness."

"And you gave it to him." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I did."

"Then why are we still talking?"

"Because that's not all he said."

"What else?"

"Do you believe in redemption?"

"Huh?" Keitaro was confused by the apparent non-sequitur.

"Redemption, the notion that people can make up for past wrongs," Tsuruko explained.

"I don't think I qualify for it," Keitaro admitted.

"Toshio talked about it, how he felt about it. He said he came to a decision, and that seeing you here proved him right…"

'Oh no…' "Wha-what do you mean?" Keitaro wasn't able to keep the nervous tremor out of his speech.

"He said he saw how you looked at me, and how I looked when I came in. He said I haven't looked like that in far too long, and he knew he was responsible. You know what happened then?" When Keitaro shook his head, Tsuruko added, "He smiled sadly, told me he was sorry for all the pain he'd caused you, said he'd always love me and cherish the time he'd had."

"What-what are you saying?"

"Toshio told me that he knew what he had to do, then he bid me farewell and walked out…"

Keitaro stood there, shocked by what he'd heard, before his body finally regained its capability to move. He grabbed the handle of the knife with both hands and pulled hard, desperately trying to yank it free. "Help me get this out! That idiot, what does he think he's doing…" Keitaro was pulling with all his strength, but even with his feet braced against the door, he couldn't budge the knife. "I…can…catch…up…with …him," Keitaro grunted between tugs. "Drag…him…back…"

"Keitaro… wait…"

"Why? The longer I'm here the-" Keitaro broke off when he noticed the look in Tsuruko's eyes.

"I don't think you could change his mind, and, and I'm not sure if I'd want you to…"

"I-I don't understand…"

"You said you've come to care for me… Do you think I couldn't feel the same?"

"But-but you love Toshio, you're married to him…"

"That's true," Tsuruko acknowledged. "But even though I've forgiven him, I don't know if I could live with him anymore…"

"You, you have to try, you can't let it end like this…"

"Even if it's starting something else?"

"But I caused all this," Keitaro nearly sobbed.

Tsuruko sighed and shook her head. "Keitaro, listen. Do you honestly believe that I didn't have something to do with what happened that night?"

"You-you'd been drinking, you weren't thinking clearly…"

"Yes, I'd been drinking, but, but, I still knew what I was doing. Believe me, if I'd changed my mind, you'd have known."

"But Toshio loves you! He wanted to spend the rest of his life with you, he told me!"

"I know Toshio still loves me," Tsuruko replied candidly. "But he left because of that, not in spite of that…"

"I-I don't understand…"

"If you're lucky, you'll never have to…" Tsuruko replied sadly.

Keitaro felt the room spin, his senses overloaded by information. Toshio had come back, but apparently he was leaving again, and his wife had told Keitaro that he didn't want to be stopped. 'What the hell's going on here?' he raged. 'Everything could go back the way it was, but no one seems to want that but me! Toshio's leaving because he loves Tsuruko, Tsuruko loves Toshio, but she's letting him go, and she's babbling about starting something and-'

Keitaro's train of thought derailed at that last bit. "…starting something else…?" he murmured softly. He swallowed hard, attempting to get some moisture back into his mouth, and clenched and opened his fists at his sides spasmodically, trying to prevent them from trembling, as he slowly lifted his gaze to meet Tsuruko's. "What… did you mean by that?" he practically whispered.

Tsuruko was close enough hat she was able to hear Keitaro's faint question. "What I meant was," she replied, softly returning her left hand to his right cheek, causing him to shudder involuntarily, "I've-I've starting to like having you live with me…"

"Why?" was the only coherent thought Keitaro could manage.

"How come you can't accept that people could care for you?"

"I-I don't deserve it," Keitaro replied weakly. "Everyone I care for I hurt. Naru, Motoko, Shinobu and the others at Hinata house, you-" Keitaro instantly cut himself off.

Tsuruko wasn't letting him off that easily. "Me? You care for me?" she asked, gazing into his eyes.

"I already said that," Keitaro answered, looking up into Tsuruko's beautiful eyes, noticing his own reflection in them. "I shouldn't, but I do," he continued quietly. "I don't deserve happiness."

"You do Keitaro," Tsuruko responded instantly. "You're kind, considerate, supporting, and you don't hesitate to put the feelings of others ahead of your own…" She caressed Keitaro's cheek with her soft fingertips, causing him to gasp out.

"But I've hurt everyone…" Keitaro protested, having trouble thinking clearly due to Tsuruko's touch. "The residents, Toshio, you, everyone…"

"You're only human Keitaro. All of us are, even me, despite what Motoko sometimes believes. You're never malevolent, and you've always felt remorse, even when it wasn't necessary. And you were there for me, even when it would have been easier to just walk away. I wouldn't have blamed you if you had…"

"I couldn't have done that," Keitaro replied truthfully.

"Then when someone calls you 'special', you should believe them," Tsuruko replied.

"I'm not 'special'," Keitaro responded faintly.

"I disagree…" Tsuruko whispered. She then gently lifted Keitaro's chin with her thumb, and slowly leaned down, tenderly pressing her lips to his own.

Keitaro stood there motionless, his bags falling unceremoniously to the floor, not even closing his eyes, his rationality at war with his desires. The rational part of him was telling him to escape, through the window if necessary, chase down Toshio, and either slap some sense into him, or twist his arm behind him and march him back to the house.

His desires wanted nothing more than to melt into Tsuruko's embrace and never let go.

Then, for the first time, rationality and desire ceased their arguing, and tried to work out their differences. As such, Keitaro's rationality decided to drop its objections, at least for the time being.

The internal debate had taken place in less than half a second…

Closing his eyes and tilting his head slightly, Keitaro tentatively responded to the kiss, marveling that Tsuruko's lips were as soft as he remembered. The two of them stayed motionless, sharing the soft, languid kiss for a few minutes, before Tsuruko broke it off.

Keitaro could feel that his face was flushed, and opening his eyes he could see that Tsuruko appeared to be in a similar state. He could feel himself trembling due to nervousness, but also due to excitement. Belatedly, Keitaro noticed that his breathing had quickened, and an entire flock of butterflies appeared to have taken up residence in his stomach. The feeling of Tsuruko caressing his cheeks was causing sparks to shoot up his spine, and on impulse he reached up and took her hand in his and gently kissed her palm, prompting her to take in a quick breath.

Tsuruko took hold of Keitaro's free hand, interlocked her fingers with his, and with her other hand reached over and took hold of the knife, effortlessly pulling it free. Keitaro blinked in surprise at that; he hadn't been able to budge it with all of his strength, and he idly wondered just how strong Tsuruko was. With the knife removed, the door slid open nearly silently, and Tsuruko stepped through the opening, her grip on Keitaro's hand indicating that she wished for him to follow her.

Despite the way his heart was pounding, and the lump that had appeared in his throat, at that moment, Keitaro would have followed Tsuruko into the very pits of hell if she'd asked him.

Fortunately, she had a much more pleasant destination in mind…

Wordlessly, Keitaro followed Tsuruko across the compound, the feel of her hand in his pushing aside most other thoughts. His survival instincts did cause him to tense up as they passed through the kitchen. 'If Toshio's still here…' he thought nervously, feeling an overpowering urge to yank his hand from her grip, but it passed when there was no sign of Toshio; even the empty mug had been placed in the sink, he noticed detachedly.

Feeling equal parts nervousness and anticipation, Keitaro allowed Tsuruko to slowly lead him upstairs, until she stopped in front of a door. Keitaro knew what was behind that door, but he had never even opened it, much less gone through it. Tsuruko's bedroom. The one room he had made an active effort to avoid. The only room he hadn't entered, even to do cleaning. He hadn't felt it was appropriate, and since she'd never mentioned it, Keitaro figured that Tsuruko hadn't minded.

'Now, I won't just be going in there, I'll… I mean we'll…' Unable to complete the thought without starting to tremble from nerves, Keitaro nonetheless blushed to the point he could feel his face burning. With a soft click, and the almost silent sound of polished wood sliding, the door opened. For a moment, Keitaro had the strange compulsion to sweep Tsuruko up in his arms and carry her across the threshold, but he was able to resist. 'With my luck, I'd probably drop her, or hit her head on the doorframe, or trip, or I wouldn't be able to lift her…' He shook his head to end the verbal stream, as his mind found that it was easier to think about anything else than what was going to happen.

Keitaro nervously walked into the room, looked around, and was a little surprised by what he saw. He'd expected Tsuruko's bedroom to be somewhat spartan, perhaps even austere, but it was surprisingly warm and comforting. All of the furniture, dressers, wardrobe, end table, and bed frame, were made of an unknown wood, which had been stained and probably hand rubbed until the wood was a dark golden color, and the grain of the wood stood out beautifully. The bed itself, Keitaro noticed belatedly, was a king sized four posted canopy design.

'That's not so different from the one at the hotel,' he noticed offhandedly, before Tsuruko let go of him and took hold of his face with both hands and kissed him again.

From that moment on, Keitaro no longer felt any need to pay attention to the room's furnishings…

At the end, sweating heavily and breathing hard, Keitaro tried to push himself up so he could move off of Tsuruko, but she was holding him firmly but gently where he was, so he stayed there, nestled in Tsuruko's bosom. He heard her softly whispering his name and felt her running her fingers though his hair. Keitaro thought that it would be proper to move, but it was so comfortable and felt so secure that he ended up drifting off to sleep, Tsuruko's tender embrace driving away all unpleasant thoughts, and allowing him to sleep like he hadn't since he was a child.

XXX

"Ku-e! Ku-e!"

Keitaro opened bleary eyes at the sound of Shippu's cry. 'Another…dream?' he thought groggily, recalling the last time he'd encountered Tsuruko's bird. He then realized that while he was in a bed, he wasn't resting ON one, and that his head wasn't resting on pillows either. The fact that he could feel Tsuruko softly stroking his hair put to rest any notion that he was dreaming. Although the realization that his head was resting between Tsuruko's breasts gave him pause.

"Ku-e!"

Shippu's cry brought Keitaro's attention to the fact that the bird had moved so that its beak was now less than three inches from his nose.

"I'm not a snack, bird…" Keitaro warned.

Ignoring him, Shippu pecked softly at Keitaro's nose, earning a yelp from him. His snarl was cut off when he heard Tsuruko giggle softly. "I think he likes you…"

Pushing dark thoughts about Shippu out of his mind, including one that involved stuffing and cranberry sauce, Keitaro eased himself off of Tsuruko and laid down beside her, wondering when she'd pulled the blanket up over them. He ended up with his head on the same pillow as Tsuruko, their faces about six inches apart. 'It's nicer than the last time we woke up together,' Keitaro noted idly, before he began to speak. "G-good morning…"

Tsuruko smiled softly in reply. "You mean, good evening," she corrected. "You were asleep for about an hour." She then reached up and caressed Keitaro's cheek, causing him to close his eyes and nuzzle her hand, before he carefully brought up his own hand and caressed Tsuruko's cheek. He opened his eyes and found Tsuruko gazing at him, and neither spoke for some time, the two of them enjoying the intimacy of the moment.

It was Keitaro who first broke the comfortable silence in the bedroom. "I-I guess I'm staying then…" he said timidly. "I-I mean, if that's what you want," he added rapidly. "That-that's presumptuous of me, thinking like that, I mean, you could still want me to leave now, and-"

"Keitaro…"

"Yes…?"

"You're babbling again."

"…sorry…"

Tsuruko had an amused air about her when she spoke next. "I wouldn't mind if you stayed, Keitaro…"

"But… why?" Keitaro wondered. "I'm a pretty poor catch, if you ask me. Not many prospects, I left Tokyo University…"

"I told you, you're still kind, caring, considerate, and-and, I've grown to enjoy having you around here, with me."

Keitaro tried to get his thoughts in order, but having Tsuruko caressing his cheek, the fact that her lovely face was inches from his own, and they were both naked, wasn't making it any easier. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to focus himself, Keitaro replied, "I-I know you said that, but-but I-"

"Keitaro," Tsuruko interrupted by placing a finger on his lips. "What do you feel about me?"

Keitaro's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting such a direct question. When he didn't reply after a few seconds, Tsuruko repeated the question, clearly wanting his answer. 'What-what do I tell her?' he wondered, even as he answered his own question. 'The truth, it's what she deserves…'

"I-I care for you Tsuruko," Keitaro stated quietly. "I've grown fond of you, but, I don't know if it's right for me to feel like this…" He sighed audibly before continuing, looking deep into Tsuruko's eyes. "I don't know if I can say I love you, I'm not even sure what that's supposed to feel like." He closed his eyes and pursed his lips, remembering his drawn-out and stormy relationship with Naru. Returning his gaze to Tsuruko, Keitaro added, "could you even believe me if I said I loved you?"

Now it was Tsuruko's turn to look contemplative; she pursed her lips for a few moments as she formulated her reply. "I don't think I could say I love you right now either," she remarked. "But, I-I think that I'd like to try… I care for you Keitaro, and why don't we see what happens?"

Keitaro felt his heart skip a beat at Tsuruko's candid admission, before his sense of self-depreciation kicked in. "But, but what if it doesn't work out?" he asked faintly. He shuddered when Tsuruko began running her fingers though his hair.

"Who knows if it'll work," Tsuruko admitted. "But does that mean we shouldn't even try? Why not take it a day at a time?"

Keitaro considered everything Tsuruko had said to him, and his own feelings for her. "We could try," he answered softly, "see what happens. I-I'd like that…" 'Although I don't know if it'll last,' he added silently.

Tsuruko cocked her head and took another look at Keitaro. "How do you know that I won't go for another walk in the rain?" she asked.

Keitaro smiled at that, and traced the outside of Tsuruko's lips with his finger. "Invite me along, and we'll walk in the rain together. It isn't all bad…"

"I think I'd like to find out…" Tsuruko said, kissing Keitaro's finger.

Having come to an understanding of sorts, Tsuruko scooted over and rested her head on Keitaro's chest, wrapping her arms around him, an action he reciprocated, and began stroking her hair. For the next few minutes there was only silence, the sound of breathing the only disturbance, as the two of them found comfort in each others arms. Keitaro soon found his thoughts wandering, and issues of his own survival surfaced. "Motoko's going to kill me," he murmured. He would later swear he felt Tsuruko blink in surprise.

"You're thinking of her?" Tsuruko asked, her tone oddly neutral.

Keitaro kicked himself mentally at his faux pas. "Sorry, sorry, survival instinct," he apologized sheepishly, before his mood became more serious. "We'll have to tell them, you know. We can't keep this a secret…"

"I know," acknowledged Tsuruko. "But let me worry about Motoko." She then lifted her head and gently kissed Keitaro. "Just trust me…"

"I will."

Tsuruko gave Keitaro one last languid kiss before she snuggled back into his embrace. "Goodnight Kei-chan."

"Goodnight Tsuru- Kei-chan?"

"I am older," Tsuruko stated frankly.

Keitaro tried to think of how to answer that, before giving up an accepting it. 'Kei-chan… I could live with that,' he reasoned. "Goodnight Tsuru… Tsu-chan?" he replied carefully. When Tsuruko giggled and held him a little tighter, Keitaro figured that calling her that was okay with her.

Kissing the top of Tsuruko's head, Keitaro then laid his head back and closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him. As he felt himself slip into unconsciousness, Keitaro took comfort from the feel of Tsuruko in his grasp, unsure of what would happen, but willing to face it to be with her.

As Tsuruko drifted off, her thoughts were running along a nearly identical path.

XXX

From that day on, Keitaro and Tsuruko slept in the same bed. Having Keitaro move in hadn't taken much effort, simply bringing his already packed bags from the guest room to the master bedroom.

A couple of days later, Keitaro called Haruka, using the house phone, not his cell, and explained where he'd gone after he'd left. After a few seconds of dead silence, he'd heard her mutter something about the pool going unclaimed. As fate would have it, the residents happened to have been in the café when he'd called, and Motoko recognized the number on the caller ID. When she'd realized who Haruka was talking to, she'd let out a scream of fury that made Keitaro go pale, despite the distance.

From the sound of things, Motoko had tried to grab the phone from Haruka to curse him, but she hadn't been able to get a hold of it. Snarling, she'd stomped out of the café, her eventual destination obvious. Haruka remarked casually that he sure knew how to make things interesting. Keitaro wasn't sure if she was complimenting or insulting him.

The realization that Motoko now knew where he was and where he'd been staying spurred Keitaro into action. He hastily bid farewell to Haruka, hung up, retrieved his passport, and went to pack, telling Tsuruko that he'd heard that the Florida Everglades were nice this time of year, with plenty of turtles around. When Tsuruko cheerfully pointed out that there were crocodiles as well, he replied that he'd be more likely to be able to reason with them than with her sister.

He's ceased his panicked packing when Tsuruko placed a hand on his shoulder and told him that she would talk with Motoko. When he'd started stammering reasons why he should leave, his very survival topping the list, she smiled at him. In a tone that brooked no argument, she told him to go into the city for a few hours and to trust her, and that she'd call him when it was over. Looking into her eyes, he'd found some courage and relented, reminding her of his number, and he left, now more concerned for Tsuruko's safety than his own.

He'd eaten alone, seen a movie, and killed time in a café, both dreading and anticipating the call, even as the hours crawled by. Finally, some six hours after he'd left, his phone began to ring, making him jump. When he answered it, Tsuruko simply told him he could come home now and hung up before he could respond. He hurriedly made his way back to the compound, relieved to find that it was still standing. Tsuruko said nothing to him other than that she had discussed things with Motoko, and that was it. Keitaro wanted to know exactly what happened, but the look in Tsuruko's eyes convinced him to hold his tongue, so he made both tea, and did his best to be there for her.

It would be nearly two years before Tsuruko and Motoko would speak to each other again…

Keitaro re-established contact with a few of the residents at Hinata House by phone, even though it wasn't easy for him, especially with Naru. She was still upset with him, but she'd moved on a little, and while she was astonished to hear where he'd been living, she didn't bear too much of a grudge. It was probably better for the both of them that they only talked over the phone, since neither could see how hurt the other was, and it was easier to believe that the other was as good as they claimed.

Kitsune was glad to hear from Keitaro again, although she would never admit just how much she had missed him. She groused at him for costing her a fortune in the 'Where's Keitaro?' pool, but out of respect to her friend, never went into any serious discussion with him.

Su's main concern was disappointment that her Keitaro Detector hadn't been able to track him all the way to Kyoto, and promised him that Version 2.4 would have worldwide range.

Shinobu and Keitaro talked a little more frequently, a couple of times a month, usually trading recipes and the like, and while Shinobu was upset that she hadn't been able to make good on her crush, she was glad that she could at least talk to her sempai again. To work through her disappointment, she'd taken up gardening, showing a surprising aptitude for it, even producing some award winning pumpkins. When asked about the secret of her success, she'd say it was all in the fertilizer.

It was nearly two years later when Keitaro and Tsuruko finally paid a visit to Hinata House. Keitaro had called Haruka ahead and given her a heads up, and she'd told Reika to discretely lock up some of the more fragile objects, and ask her father if he possibly wouldn't mind coming out of retirement if the damage was too much for her to handle.

By a quirk of fate, Motoko was out when they'd arrived, and the first indication she'd had of their presence was encountering them in the living room when she returned home. As a warrior, she'd thought about how she would handle meeting up with her sister again, or the…male…she'd taken as her lover. She'd considered virtually every variable and contingency, except for the two tiny green eyes staring at her.

There are few things in the world that can sap the will to fight more than the presence of a two week old baby, but having her introduced as Natsuko, and being told that she was your new niece was one of them. Even Motoko couldn't hold onto her anger while a young child gurgled at her happily, smiling with the delight infants have at meeting new people. Her head spinning with new developments, Motoko found herself agreeing to talk with Tsuruko in private, following as her sister lead her to her own room.

Keitaro nervously held court in the living room with Natsuko, playing with her to keep from twitching, and casting anxious glances upstairs, bracing for the sounds of violence. After nearly an hour of excruciating waiting, during which his daughter was fawned over and had more funny faces made at her than in her admittedly short life, the Aoyama sisters made their way downstairs. Tsuruko smiled gently at him and while Motoko didn't smile, she didn't look like she was deciding where to insert her sword into him either. While she would always remain somewhat distant from him, she immediately fell into the role of devoted aunt.

A year and a half later, Natsuko gained a sister, Akiko, and two years after that, a brother, Akira. After Akira was born, Tsuruko told Keitaro that if he wanted another child, he'd have to be the one giving birth. Keitaro simply shook his head and smiled; they'd already been blessed with three beautiful children, why press for more?

Despite having three children together, Tsuruko and Keitaro never married, even though Keitaro had mentioned the idea in passing to Tsuruko before Natsuko was born. Tsuruko had felt no pressing need to remarry, and Keitaro had come to agree with her. Neither cared what others might have thought, they loved each other and their children, and no ceremony was going to make a difference in that. They were even able to avoid common-law, as Keitaro maintained Hinata House as a mailing address.

Their children didn't realize that their mother and father weren't husband and wife until they were older, and by the time they found out, it didn't matter to them. Their mother and father clearly loved each other and had done a fine job raising them, so what did their marriage status really matter? Their parents obviously didn't mind things the way they were, so why should anyone else? They had the occasional disagreement and argument, of course, but that made them just like any parents. No, the only strange thing about mom and dad, the Aoyama children decided, was their curious mistrust and avoidance of coffee houses.

For sixty-two years, five months, and eight days, Keitaro and Tsuruko were all but inseparable, parting only when Tsuruko took the one journey on which Keitaro could not join her.

Tsuruko's illness wasn't long, but it had been serious, and despite the care she'd taken of herself throughout her long life, in the end, it was just too much for her. On her final day, the doctors could do nothing but assure that she was pain-free until the end. On her deathbed, surrounded by Keitaro, their children and grandchildren, Tsuruko finally faced the one opponent she couldn't defeat. Keitaro tried to be strong for her, to keep her from having his tearful face as her last image of him, but it was terribly difficult. Smiling at her family, Tsuruko took Keitaro's hand and gave it one last gentle squeeze, and told him, "I'll be waiting…" before her grip went limp, she closed her eyes, and passed away.

Keitaro's control disintegrated, and he collapsed upon her body, continuing to hold onto her hand, crying openly and loudly, his shoulders wracked with powerful sobs, not caring about how he looked. Through his overwhelming grief, he felt shameful disappointment that his secret, guilty wish hadn't been granted; to die first, so he'd never have to face the reality of having to try to live without Tsuruko. He stayed there for some time, sobbing over Tsuruko's body, only the presence of his children and grandchildren keeping him from sinking into absolute despair.

If one ignored the occasion, the day of Tsuruko's funeral could have been called a nice day. It was a clear, sunny day, with calm air, and even bird song was audible to those who attended. Keitaro, who looked to have aged more in the past few days than in a few decades, was little more than a shell of himself, still wracked with grief, but able to at least able to put up a façade of calm. At least for a while. Despite his and Tsuruko's unusual relationship, he was seated where a husband would have sat, and he was treated as widower.

As Tsuruko's closest blood relative, Motoko sat near Keitaro, with her own husband, children, and grandchildren near her. She wore her late sister's sword on her waist, having been bequeathed it, and she wore it with all the respect that it deserved. One day she would hand it down, possibly to her youngest granddaughter, a six year old sprite named Asuna. She looked at the man who was her brother in law in all but name. He was crushed, more depressed and heart-broken than she'd ever seen anyone. Looking into his eyes, she saw her own grief reflected in them, and she finally allowed herself to see Keitaro as family, burying the last fragments of her former resentment of him.

After the service, and after Tsuruko's casket had been inserted into the furnace for cremation, Motoko went to Keitaro and talked to him, something she would have normally done only if it was unavoidable. Keitaro was little surprised that Motoko was trying to comfort and console him, but in his mourning he accepted her condolences, offering her his own as well. Afterwards, they returned to the Aoyama home, talking about the woman they had both loved deeply.

The two of them would continue to meet at least once a week at the ancestral home, attempting to make up for decades worth of missed conversations, both of them feeling that Tsuruko would have wanted it. The talks seemed to revitalize each of them a little, both of them becoming more animated during their talks, but while Motoko came out of the talks feeling better, Keitaro seemed to collapse even further. His children worried that he was slowly giving up on life, but they had no way to make him stop. Keitaro's soul had in essence died with Tsuruko, and only his body survived, moving around without any guidance.

Four months and two days later, as everyone had both dreaded and expected, Keitaro was reunited with his beloved Tsuruko. To Motoko, it didn't matter that the doctors had called it death by natural causes, she knew, along with everyone else, that Keitaro had died of loneliness and a broken heart.

The day of Keitaro's funeral, the weather seemed more appropriate, Motoko decided. It was a bleak, overcast day, with light rain that mixed with tears, and instantly prompted a more somber mood. Motoko felt like she'd been to too many funerals recently, the price of a long life. It secretly bothered her that at the way things were going, she'd be the last of her friends to die, and that there wouldn't be anyone left but her children and grandchildren to come to her funeral.

Keitaro and Tsuruko's burial instructions were as unorthodox as their life together had been. Tsuruko's ashes were disinterred, and combined with Keitaro's ashes in a new urn. Motoko thought that this was fitting; they'd been all but inseparable in life, and now they were completely inseparable in death. As the urn was re-interred, and Tsuruko and Keitaro took their final resting place among the other members of the Aoyama clan, Motoko happened to look away, as she was wiping at tears.

From the corner of her eye, at the edge of the grounds, Motoko saw a ghostly image of her sister and Keitaro, holding hands, and looking as they had when they were younger. They were smiling softly, and waving, but when Motoko blinked, they disappeared. In spite of her sadness, Motoko couldn't help but smile. "We'll meet again…" she murmured softly.

"Grandma? Are you okay?" It was her youngest granddaughter Asuna, who would one day come to possess Tsuruko's blade.

"I'm fine Asuna-chan. I was just thinking, your Aunt Tsuruko and Uncle Keitaro would have enjoyed today…"

"Why grandma?" To Asuna, rainy days were no fun at all.

Motoko wiped her eyes one last time, and bent down to pick up her granddaughter. "They always loved to walk in the rain…"

End of Ships in the Night

Full Version posted at MediaMiner(dot)org

Author's Notes:

Okay that's it. It's over. Don't expect a sequel…

This project was something I've wanted to do for a while, and now that it's over, I feel a sense of satisfaction. One of my goals was to not only write a Keitaro/Tsuruko story, but to do it without simply offing her husband, and having Keitaro just walk in.

I also wanted to set the bar high, and set a new standard for this pairing…

Only you readers can tell me if I succeeded…

Comments, criticisms, and compliments are welcome at hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com

Once again, special thanks go out to random1377, who, when he wasn't creeping me out with 'Stability,' served as pre-reader on this fic, using his patented "DeSuck-o-Matic 3000" to insure this fic ran well, with minimum clunk, and maximum readability. That being said, all errors in continuity, logic, and common sense are my fault, not his.

Thanks man!

Thanks to all who read and reviewed.

See you in the next fic!

Whatever it is…


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